Gerhard Ludwig Closs (May 1, 1928 – May 24, 1992) was an American chemist specializing in physical organic chemistry,[1] member of the National Academy of Sciences and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,[2] chairman of the chemistry department at the University of Chicago.
[1] [3] Closs made seminal contributions in research of the magnetic properties of the intermediate compounds formed in chemical reactions.
[1] He is also credited with the discovery that certain reactions polarize atomic nuclei.
[1] The National Academies Press called him "one of the outstanding chemists of the post-World War II era".
[2] He was also an early leader in the field of carbene chemistry.