Berthier, Gaston

Berry Michael V., 902 Berthier Gaston, 472, 626 Bethe Hans Albrecht,... 

This paper is dedicated to Gaston Berthier, from whom I have learned a lot. Although Berthier s publications have mostly dealt with applications of quantum mechanical methods to chemical problems, he never liked black boxes or unjustified approximations even if they appeared to work. The question why the quantum chemical machinery does so well although it often lies on rather weak grounds has concerned him very much. I am therefore convinced that he will appreciate this excursion to applied mathematics. 

It is a pleasure for the author of being invited to contribute to this book as a tribute to Gaston Berthier who taught him in the late sixties at Ecole Normale Superieure (rue Lhomond, Paris) how to use a partieular molecular orbital formalism, developped in his group, for a study on transiton metal eomplexes. This has been the beginning of a fruitful eollaboration over the years. 

At the Dawn of Quantum Chemistry The Role of Gaston Berthier... 

Gaston Berthier (1), Laboratoire d Etude Theorique des Milieux Extremes, Ecole Normale Superieure, F 75231 Paris cedex 05, France... 

One of us (A.K.) wishes to thank Pr Dennis Salahub (University of Montreal) for his hospitality in his group during the first half of 1998. Gaston Berthier and Yves Ellinger (E.N.S. Paris) are acknowledged for a critical reading of the manuscript, and Alexander Kuleff for technical assistance. 

Fortunately the situation was not as stark as it appears if one looks only at the number of academic positions at that time. The CNRS, which created its own hierarchy for full-time research scientists (equivalent to the hierarchy of university professors), offered such positions to many theoretical chemists, thereby expanding the number of theoretical chemists active in France. Indeed, if one limits the list to our now retired colleagues, one should remember that Alberte Pullman, Gaston Berthier, Odilon Chalvet, Carl Moser, Roland Le-febvre, and Alain Veillard spent their full careers with the CNRS. 

The authors are grateful to their colleagues Gaston Berthier, Janine Connes, Raymond Daudel, Andre Julg, Jean Hoarau, and Alberte Pullman for providing useful information. 

A crucial event which greatly helped to stimulate the interest of the french scientific community in the potentialities of quantum chemistiy was the holding in Paris, in 1948, of an international symposium on the methods, achievements and status of quantum chemistry, which was attended by the most eminent specialists in this field. Suffice it to mention the presence of Linus Pauling and Robert Mulliken. It is that year that Gaston Berthier joined our group. 

Formerly an analytical chemist, Gaston Berthier (1923-) got tired of working in the automobile industry and joined the Pullmans group. Interview with Gaston Berthier conducted by Udo Anders, June 2, 1997, p. 1. Available at quantum-chemistry-history.com/Berthl. htm>. 

Interview with Gaston Berthier by Udo Anders, June 2, 1997, p. 5. Available at quantum-chemistry-history.com/Berthl>. 

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