Rowland Pettit (February 6, 1927 – December 10, 1981) was an Australian-born American chemist.
He came to London to Queen Mary College to conduct research into "the molecular orbital theory of organic chemistry and its application".
[2] [3] Pettit was noted for preparation of Cyclobutadieneiron tricarbonyl and the related trimethylenemethane complex.
[1][3][2] Pettit was head of the Department of Chemistry[1][2] and W. T. Doherty Professor in Chemistry at the University of Texas, Austin,[1][2] a member of the National Academy of Sciences,[1][2][3] a member of the American Chemical Society,[3] a member of the Chemical Society of London,[3] a recipient of the American Chemical Society's the Southwest Regional Award,[3][2][1] a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.
[2][3] The University of Texas said that Pettit was an "internationally recognized organic chemist".