Oktay Sinanoğlu, a prominent Turkish physical chemist referred to as the Turkish Einstein has passed away at the age of 80 in the U.S. early Monday. Sinanoğlu had been in a coma in a Miami hospital, according to his wife Dilek Sinanoğlu. President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has offered his condolences in a press release published on the Presidency website. The Turkish president praised Sinanoğlu's contribution to scientific research, Turkish language and his publications, while he noted that Sinanoğlu was amongst the distinguished scholars on a global scale. Erdoğan also extended his condolences to Sinanoğlu's family, loved ones and the science world. No medical statement has been released into the cause of death.
His death was announced by Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, who noted that the Turkish Consulate General in Miami was following the official procedures required for the transfer of Sinanoğlu's remains to Turkey.
Mavi Boncuk |
Oktay Sinanoğlu (born 2 August 1934-19 April 2015) was a Turkish physical chemist.
Sinanoğlu was born in Bari, Italy. His father, Nüzhet Haşim Sinanoğlu[1], was a consular official under the Consul General Atıf Kor in the Bari Consulate of Turkey, and a writer. He wrote a book on Greek and Roman Mythology, and another one titled "Petrarca", published in 1931, stating in its preface: "The best way (for Turkey) is adopting the Western culture."
Following his father's recall to Turkey in July 1938, the family returned to Turkey before the start of World War II. Sinanoğlu graduated from TED Ankara Koleji in 1953. He studied in University of California, Berkeley and graduated with honors in 1956. The following year he completed his MSc at MIT and was awarded Sloan Fellowship. He completed his predoctoral fellowship (1958-1959) and "doctorate" (1959-1960) at the University of California, Berkeley. He was appointed full professor of chemistry on July 1, 1963 in Yale University. He was given the title "visiting-professor" in 1962 and "consulting-professor in 1964 by the Middle East Technical University. He founded the Theoretical Chemistry Division of the university in 1964.
A book in which he was interviewed about his life and works, under the name The Turkish Einstein, Oktay Sinanoglu (Turkish: Türk Aynştaynı Oktay Sinanoğlu Kitabı) was edited by Turkish writer Emine Çaykara and published in 2001 in Turkey.
Main theories:
Many Electron Theory of Atoms and Molecules (1961)
Solvophobic Theory (1964)
Network Theory (1974)
Microthermodynamics (1981)
Valency Interaction Formula Theory (1983)
[1] Esin Afşar, born Esin Sinanoğlu (1936, Bari - 14 November 2011, İstanbul) was a well-known Turkish singer and stage actress. Esin was the youngest of five siblings. Her brother, Oktay Sinanoğlu, became a notable professor of chemistry. Other brothers became professor of Latin, professor of Ancient Greek and Press Chief at European Council in Strasbourg.
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