George Andrew Olah (May 22, 1927 – March 8, 2017) was an Hungarian-born American chemist. His research involves the generation and reactivity of carbocations using superacids. For this research, Olah was awarded a Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1994.  The American Chemical Society gave him its highest honor, the Priestley Medal.

Life
Olah was born in Budapest, Hungary, on May 22, 1927. He studied high school at Budapesti Piarista Gimnazium (Scolopi fathers). He studied, then taught, at what is now Budapest University of Technology and Economics. Following the 1956 Hungarian Revolution, he and his family moved briefly to England, They then moved to Canada. He joined Dow Chemical in Sarnia, Ontario, with another Hungarian chemist, Stephen J. Kuhn. During Olah's eight years with Dow, he started to study carbocations. In 1965, he left Dow for Case Western Reserve University. He joined the University of Southern California faculty in 1977. In 1971, Olah became a naturalized citizen of the United States.

Olah was a distinguished professor at the University of Southern California and the director of the Loker Hydrocarbon Research Institute. In 2005, Olah wrote an essay promoting the methanol economy.

The Olah family formed an endowment fund (the George A. Olah Endowment). It grants annual awards to outstanding chemists. The American Chemical Society selects and administers the awards.

Olah died on March 8, 2017 at his home in Beverly Hills, California, aged 89.

Work

The search for stable carbocations led to the discovery of protonated methane. (Protonated methane is a methane molecule (CH4) with an extra proton giving it a positive charge.) Protonated methane was stabilized by superacids, like FSO3H-SbF5 ("Magic Acid").  
CH4  +  H+  →  CH5+

Olah also studied how hydrocarbons are used as fuel.

Olah also disagreed for many years with Herbert C. Brown of Purdue University over the existence of so-called "nonclassical" carbocations – such as the norbornyl cation. They can be shown as cationic character shared (delocalized) over several bonds.

In recent years, his research has shifted from hydrocarbons (including hydrocarbon fuel) to the methanol economy.  He joined Robert Zubrin, Anne Korin, and James Woolsey in calling for a Flexible-fuel vehicle mandate initiative.

References

Technical Publications
Olah, G.   "Superacid Catalyzed Depolymerization and Conversion of Coals. Final Technical Report. [HF:BF{sub 2}/H{sub 2}]", University of Southern California, United States Department of Energy, (1980).
Olah, G. A.   "Superacid Catalyzed Coal Conversion Chemistry. 1st and 2nd Quarterly Technical Progress Reports, September 1, 1983-March 30, 1984.", University of Southern California, United States Department of Energy, (1984).
Olah, G. A.  "Superacid Catalyzed Coal Conversion Chemistry. Final Technical Report, September 1, 1983-September 1, 1986.", University of Southern California, United States Department of Energy, (1986).

Other websites
Biography and Bibliographic Resources, from the Office of Scientific and Technical Information, United States Department of Energy
Methanol as an alternative fuel Recording of a discussion with George Olah broadcast on NPR.
My Search for Carbocations and Their Role in Chemistry Nobel Lecture, December 8, 1994 by George A. Olah
The Institute for the Analysis of Global Security 

1927 births
2017 deaths
People from Budapest
Hungarian people
American chemists
Foreign Members of the Royal Society
Naturalized citizens of the United States
Hungarian Nobel Prize winners
American Nobel Prize winners