Celebrating the Life and Legacy of Michael Kasha |
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Michael Kasha is not only one of the key founders of modern photophysics and molecular spectroscopy, but was a beacon of cross disciplinary research, continually striving to connect chemistry, biology, physics, and even art. Over his 70 years, he made long lasting impacts on many aspects of the scientific community. In 1944, he and Gilbert Lewis were the first to demonstrate that the triplet state was the origin of phosphorescent emission. Subsequently, he showed that spin-orbit coupling could facilitate singlet to triplet intersystem crossing, which is now referred to as the “heavy-atom effect” or the “Kasha Effect”. He is also the namesake for the “Kasha rule”, where in 1950 he stated that emission only occurs in appreciable yield from the lowest energy excited state. In that same year he proposed the naming scheme for electronic transitions (i.e. n-π*, π-π*) that is still used today. The list of his contributions can go on and on, including the discovery of singlet oxygen, excited state proton transfer probes for biology, the photon-antenna model for photosynthesis, and more. Additionally, he tirelessly worked to cross disciplinary boundaries through his formation of the Institute of Molecular Biophysics at Florida State University as well as his use of physics and acoustics to create the “Kasha guitar.” Next year will be the 100th anniversary of the birth of Michael Kasha and is the perfect opportunity to celebrate his achievements and the remarkably broad impact of his work.
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Image courtesy of FSU Institute of Molecular Biophysics
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NewsAugust 1, 2020
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