Professor Peter A. Williams

• Biography
• Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise
• Grants / Current Projects
• Awards and Recognition
• Publications
• Optional
• Contact Details

Biography

Professor Peter Williams was appointed Foundation Professor in Chemistry at the University of Western Sydney Nepean in 1991 and was Dean of the Faculty of Science and Technology from 1994 to 1997. Prior to that, Pete was Reader in Chemistry of the University of Wales at University College Cardiff, where he spent 16 years upon completion of postgraduate studies at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. He has formal academic qualifications in both chemistry and geology, including a PhD in X-ray crystallography.

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Areas of Research / Teaching Expertise

Inorganic Chemistry; X-ray crystallography; Geochemistry; Mineralogy; Environmental Chemistry

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Grants / Current Projects

Principal research interests concern the geochemistry and chemical mineralogy of the supergene environment, the structure and properties of optically active coordination compounds and the nature of non-classical weak bonding in complex molecules. Current areas of research are listed below.

Geochemistry of As, Sb and Bi, and the base and noble metals
Supergene geochemistry
Acid mine drainage
Crystal structures of secondary minerals
Chemical thermodynamics
Solution chemistry of inorganic systems
Weak, non-classical bonding interactions in complex molecules

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Awards and Recognition

2008 - Invited to assume the role of Chairman of the International Mineralogical Association’s Commission on New Minerals, Nomenclature and Classification.

2003 - A new mineral, petewilliamsite, was named in recognition of contributions to mineralogy, both in teaching and research.

2002-2008 - Invited to join the Minerals Advisory Council of CRC LEME.

2001 - Royal Society of New South Wales Medal for scientific achievement and service to the Society.

2000-2001 President of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

1984-1985 - Royal Society Research Fellow.

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Publications

Filella, M., Williams, P.A. and Belzile, N. (2009) Antimony in the environment: knowns and unknowns. Environmental Chemistry, 6, 95-105.

Colchester, D.M., Klish, D.R., Leverett, P. and Williams, P.A. (2008) Grandviewite, Cu₃Al₉(SO₄)₂(OH)₂₉, a new mineral from the Grandview mine, Arizona, USA. Australian Journal of Mineralogy, 14(2), 7-14.

Dabinett, T.R., Humberstone, D., Leverett, P. and Williams, P.A. (2008) Synthesis and stability of wroewolfeite, Cu₄SO₄(OH)₆•2H₂O. Pure and Applied Chemistry, 80, 1317-1323.

Overgaard, J., Waller, M.P., Piltz, R., Platts, J.R., Emseis, P., Leverett, P., Williams, P.A. and Hibbs, D.E. (2007) Experimental and theoretical charge density distribution in two ternary cobalt(III) complexes of aromatic amino acids. Journal of Physical Chemistry A, 111, 10123-10133.

Aldrich-Wright, J.R., Fenton, R.F., Leverett, P., Stephens, F.S., Williams, P.A. and Vagg, R.S. (2007) The synthesis and structural analysis of cis-bete-{(1,6-di(2'-pyridyl)(2,5-dibenzyl-2,5-diazahexane)(1,2-benzoquinone diimine))ruthenium(II)} and related complexes. Journal of Coordination Chemistry, 60, 2015-2034.

Colchester, D.M., Leverett, P., McKinnon, A.R., Sharpe, J.L., Williams, P.A., Hibbs, D.E., Turner, P. and Hoppe, V.H. (2007) Cloncurryite, Cu_0.56(VO)_0.44Al₂(PO₄)₂(F,OH)₂•5H₂O, a new mineral from the Great Australia mine, Cloncurry, Queensland, and its relationship to nevadaite. Australian Journal of Mineralogy, 13, 5-13.

Giester, G., Kolitsch, U., Leverett, P., Turner. P. and Williams, P.A. (2007) The crystal structures of lavendulan, sampleite, and a new polymorph of sampleite. European Journal of Mineralogy, 19, 75-93.

Magalhães, M.C.F. and Williams, P.A. (2007) Apatite group minerals: solubility and environmental remediation. In: T.M. Letcher (Ed.), Thermodynamics, Solubility and Environmental Issues. Elsevier, Amsterdam, Chapter 18, pp. 327-340.

Melchiorre, E.B., Williams, P.A., Rose, T.P and Talyn, B.C. (2006) Biogenic nitrogen from termite mounds and the origin of gerhardtite at the Great Australia mine, Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia. Canadian Mineralogist, 44, 1447-1455.

Waller, M.P., Robertazzi, A., Platts, J.A., Hibbs, D.E. and Williams, P.A. (2006) Hybrid density functional theory for Π-stacking interactions: applications to benzenes, pyridines and DNA bases. Journal of Computational Chemistry, 27, 491-504.

Emseis, P., Failes, T.W., Hibbs, D.E.,  Leverett, P.  and Williams, P.A. (2004) Intramolecular NH-Π and Π-Π interactions in ternary cobalt(III) complexes of aromatic aminoacids: a structural and NMR study. Polyhedron, 23, 1749-1767.

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Optional

Remains active as a consultant to the mining industry with respect to exploration and process mineralogy/metallurgy and to industry on various aspects of materials science.

2008 - Member of Editorial Board, Journal of Chemical and Engineering Data.

2007 - Project lead, IUPAC ThermoML project.

2002-2008 - Member, Minerals Advisory Council, CRC

LEME

1983-2006 Editor-in-Chief or Co-Editor-in-Chief, Journal

of Coordination Chemistry

1995 - Member of Editorial Board, Australian Journal of Mineralogy.

1992 - Member of Editorial Board, Journal of the Russell Society.

1988-1992 - Co-Editor, Journal of the Russell Society

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