Sir John Meurig Thomas passed away on 17 November 2020, at the age of 87.

He has been with us since the beginning of our editorial story, as a distinguished member of the Scientific Committee.

One of the top level international scholars in solid state catalysis and particularly on zeolites, he dedicated much of his work to the dissemination and communication of science to the widest audience.

Fond of Michael Faraday and his story, Thomas was granted the knighthood in 1991, for his "services to chemistry and the popularization of science".

He pioneered some successful novel techniques that paved the way to some of the most important achievements in chemistry and material science. Among these, the magic-angle spinning that overcame the limitations of nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), the use of synchrotron sources and free-electron lasers, and of laser and electron beams to follow the development of chemical reactions.

He received several awards, such as the 2015 Ahmed Zewail prize in molecular sciences.

In Florence we intensively remember the lecture he gave on 13 September 2017, on his book "The Genius of Man and Place" (Institute of Physics Publishing, 1991) that was translated in 2006 in Italian as "Michael Faraday La storia romantica di un genio" (Firenze University Press) by Luigi Dei, now Rector of the University.

To his wife Jehane Ragai, esteemed author of a very interesting article in one of the earliest issues of Substantia, our most sincere and deepest condolences.

 

30 November 2020