Harry Gray is a pioneer in the field of bio-inorganic chemistry. He’s credited with explaining electron transfer in biological systems, at an atomic level, bridging chemistry and biology. His work paved the way for artificial photosynthetic systems, capturing and storing sunlight for fuel.
The complex work all started with an interest in understanding the beautiful colors of his childhood lab kit.
“I got started as a kid in chemistry because I love colors. I love to to look at colors of compounds and try to figure out why some were red, some were blue,” he said. “I got hooked on chemistry. Chemistry really fascinated me. I wanted to know what these colors were and how the colors were generated by these compounds.”
“It wasn’t until I went to college and studied chemistry and studied theory that I figured out what the colors were due to,” he added. “This was a tremendous experience to finally understand the colors.”
By Christine Ayala
