Most Influential Business Professional
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Gilbert Gordon |
Gilbert Gordon was born in Chicago, Illinois on November 11, 1933. In those days, Armistice Day was a national holiday in the United States. As a young boy, he often wondered why other children his age did not have a “day off” from school on their birthday. For Christmas in 1942, his father gave Gilbert a chemistry set. Almost weekly, Gilbert and his father read the instruction book and carried out several of the experiments. He became fascinated and often explained to his friends and his parent’s friends that he was planning to be a chemist and this decision stayed with him for the rest of his life.
At Carl Schurz High School in Chicago, Mr. Church, his chemistry teacher, encouraged him to do “special” experiments as he had already carried out almost all of the experiments normally planned for his chemistry class. Mr. Church encouraged Gilbert to continue to learn more about the details of chemical reactions. Many times the class was “taught” by substitute teachers who were not very familiar with many of the topics and it was suggested by the students, probably bored or disinterested that Gilbert teach the class because “Gilbert knows how.” This was the beginning of his interest and excitement in teaching. He would give the “theoretical” explanation and show how to apply the idea to a real problem. After his demonstration, the class applauded and the teacher was very complimentary about his explanation. Gilbert graduated from high school in the top ten of his class of more than 1,500 graduates.
He began his academic career as a Chemistry Major at Bradley University, in Peoria Illinois. Being interested in photography, he joined the photo staff for the Bradley Student Newspaper and the Bradley Student Yearbook and became known as “Flash Gordon”. By the end of his first year, he was appointed Chief Photographer (with a staff of four or five other photographers). He was soon responsible for all photos taken at Bradley for the yearbook and the newspaper. This began his leadership and management skills, which would later become very important in his career as an academician. During his third and fourth years at Bradley, the yearbook received National Awards for the high quality of the photographs. Needless to say, “Flash” was happy with the results of his efforts.
As a student at Bradley, he continued to explore and expand his interests in Chemistry as a possible direction for his career. Dr. John Shroyer was the Head of the Chemistry Department at Bradley and was another major influence in Gilbert’s interest in science and mathematics. Gilbert worked in the Chemistry stockroom during his first academic year and was markedly influenced by the teaching and management skills of Professor Shroyer.
During the summers of 1953 and ‘54, Dr. Shroyer arranged for Gilbert to be a chemistry-student intern at Johnson Wax Company in Racine, Wisconsin. He had the privilege of working in the Johnson Research Tower designed by Frank Lloyd Wright where continued to learn more chemistry. He also discovered the possibility of continuing his education as a paid graduate teaching assistant. His father could not believe that he could study and be paid as a laboratory instructor. His parents, however, encouraged him to look into the details and to better understand what would be expected of him as a student and as a teacher. The Johnson Wax Company and its employees markedly influenced his professional development and future career. In the spring of 1955, Gilbert graduated with honors from Bradley University with a Bachelor of Science Degree.
Gilbert started his graduate studies at Michigan State University (MSU) in the fall of 1955 as a Teaching Assistant in General Chemistry and as a Research Student in Inorganic and Physical Chemistry. At MSU, his research was in the area of chemical kinetics. His research mentor was Professor Carl Brubaker, a Graduate of MIT in Inorganic and Radiochemistry. Once again, there was a continuing transformation and scientific growth. During his first quarter at MSU, Gilbert earned four grades of A in his graduate courses and he began to realize how much he really enjoyed studying and teaching chemistry. He loved seeing the smiles on his student’s faces as they bragged about their high scores while giving him tribute as a teacher.
Professor Fred Dutton was another faculty member at MSU that markedly influenced Gilbert’s growth as a potential teacher. Dr. Dutton was not only a good teacher in the subject of General Chemistry, he also was an expert in devising “Tested Demonstrations” to be used in class to demonstrate a chemical principle – and to help as a “memory tool” for the students. From him, Gilbert learned how to properly present chemistry to undergraduate students and to help them to become accomplished scientists and medical doctors. Ultimately, with encouragement from Dr. Dutton, he published several tested demonstrations in the Journal of Chemical Education. This was an important development in his growth as a potential teacher. He started his formal classroom teaching career as a DuPont Teaching Fellow/Instructor at Michigan State University from 1958 through 1959.
The research for his Ph.D thesis was designed to better understand the details of the chemical kinetics of electron transfer reactions. In other words, do reactions that differ by two electrons between reactants and products proceed by two one-electron processes or by a single two electron transfer process? The answer to this question involved the mathematical modeling of chemical radioactive isotope data and detailed chemical kinetic information. His minor in Mathematics and Statistical Modeling helped him to demonstrate that the reaction he was studying was indeed a direct two-electron transfer process. The title of his Ph.D thesis was "The Electron Exchange Reaction Between Tin(II) and Tin(IV) in Aqueous Perchloric Acid Solution". It was published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society in 1960. He obtained his Doctor of Philosophy Degree from Michigan State University in 1959.
It should be noted in this context, that in early 1956, Gilbert met Joyce Elaine Masura, a Home Economics major at Michigan State University. They were married on 14 September 1957. Their son, Thomas Mark, was born on 20 June 1958. Joyce continued her studies and graduated with High Honors in 1959. This was all made possible by the grateful help of two mothers and a grandmother who sequentially lived with them in their two-room university apartment! Joyce still pursues her interest in design with a business in calligraphy, designing very special awards for foundations, universities, companies and on occasion, a friend or two.
Dr. Gordon continued his education (1959-1960) with a Post-Doctorate appointment at the University of Chicago under the direction of Dr. Henry Taube. During his stay in Chicago, Gilbert learned much from Dr. Taube about how to design new research problems. Taube was an excellent teacher and he helped Gilbert to better understand the details of chemical reactions by designing the necessary and appropriate experiments. Some of the work that Gilbert ultimately carried out was cited by Taube during his presentation when he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1983. The citations for some of these papers are as follows:
Gordon, G.; Taube, H. "Oxygen Tracer Experiments on the Oxidation of Aqueous Uranium (IV) with Oxygen-Containing Oxidizing Agents", Inorg. Chem., 1962, 1, 69.
Gordon, G.; Taube, H. "The Exchange Reaction Between Uranyl Ion and Water in Perchloric Acid Solution", J. Inorg. Nucl. Chem., 1961, 19, 189.
Gordon, G.; Taube, H. "The Uranium(V)-Catalyzed Exchange Reaction Between Uranyl Ion and Water in Solution", J. Inorg. Nucl. Chem., 1961, 16, 272.
In 1969, their daughter, Lyndi Ann, was born and with it the acceptance of his first full-time academic position, which was Assistant Professor of Chemistry at the University of Maryland in College Park, Maryland. This is where he taught General Chemistry and Advanced Inorganic Chemistry. His research during the early part of his career emphasized the kinetics and chemical mechanism of fast electron-transfer and substitution reactions of the transition metal ions. During the next 10 years, amongst other research problems, he published numerous research papers with his students describing many details of the then-relatively unknown chemistry of chlorite ion and chlorine dioxide.
Emmenegger, F.; Gordon, G. "The Rapid Interaction between Sodium Chlorite and Dissolved Chlorine", Inorg. Chem., 1967, 6, 633.
Emmenegger, F.; Gordon, G. "Complex Ion Formation between ClO2 and ClO2- ", J. Inorg. and Nucl. Letters, 1966, 2, 395.
Thompson, R.C.; Gordon, G. "Kinetics and the Reaction between Chromium(II) and Chlorine Oxidants in Aqueous Perchloric Acid", J. Inorg. Chem., 1966, 5, 562.
Gordon, G.; Feldman, F. "Stoichiometry of the Reaction Between U(IV) and Chlorite", Inorg. Chem., 1964, 3, 1728.
Gordon, G.; Kern, D.M.H. "Observations on the Complex Between Uranyl and Chlorite Ions", Inorg. Chem., 1964, 3, 1055.
Gordon, G. "Oxygen-18 Tracer Studies on the Reduction of Uranyl Ion by Chromium(II)", Inorg. Chem., 1963, 2, 1277.
During this time, he also utilized the relatively new techniques of Nuclear Magnetic Resonance and Electron Paramagnetic Resonance to better understand metal ion – metal ion bonding in inorganic complexes in the solid state and in solution. Several noteworthy papers he published include the following:
Kokoszka, G.F.; Allen, H.C., Jr.; Gordon, G. "Additional Observations on the Electronic Spectrum of Copper(II) Acetate Monohydrate", Inorg. Chem., 1965, 4, 1082,
Kokoszka, G.F.; Allen, H.C., Jr.; Gordon, G. "Electron Paramagnetic Resonance Spectra of Zinc-doped Copper Acetate Monohydrate", J. Chem. Phys., 1965, 42, 3693.
Noack, M.; Gordon, G. "Oxygen-17 NMR and Copper EPR Linewidths in Aqueous Solutions of Copper(II) Ion and 2,2'-Dipyridine", J. Chem. Phys., 1968, 48, 2689.
Kokoszka, G.F.; Gordon, G. "Electron Paramagnetic Resonance", Techniques of Inorganic Chemistry, Jonassen, H.B.; Weissberger, A., Eds., 1968, 151-271.
He rose through the ranks from Assistant Professor to Full Professor at the University of Maryland in less than seven years. He had major research support from the National Science Foundation, the Atomic Energy Commission, and the Office of Saline Water. On the basis of his research publications and his scientific presentations at professional meetings in United States and abroad (e.g. France, Germany, Poland, Sweden), he became an independent consultant with numerous chemical companies such as Olin Corporation, International Dioxide and the American Paper Corporation.
Gilbert was appointed a consultant at the National Bureau of Standards (Washington D.C.) to what is now known as the National Institute of Science and Technology (NIST) on the use of NMR and EPR to study the bonding in inorganic complexes. He also was a consultant at the University of Maryland Computer Center on chemical modeling, and Edgewood Arsenal on oxidation-reduction reactions.
His wife is an outstanding cook and they clearly enjoyed the pleasures of international travel and fine food and wine. Slowly, he was becoming a wine collector and an expert on making the match between Joyce’s cooking and wines from their modest collection. Gilbert was also becoming a sport car enthusiast.
The following six years were spent at the University of Iowa as a Research Professor of Chemistry (1967 – 1973), carrying out an active research program and again teaching in General Chemistry. He and Dr. Clyde Frank re-designed the General Chemistry Laboratory Program, wrote a General Chemistry Laboratory Manual and utilized new techniques they developed for quantitatively evaluating student laboratory performance: They were very successful in exciting freshman students interested in chemistry.
Frank, C.; Gordon, G., Editors, “Experiments in Chemistry", Stripes Publishing Company, Champaign, Illinois, 1972, 180 pages).
Mottel, E.A.; Gordon, G. "An Algorithm for the Computer Evaluation of Quantitative Laboratory Unknowns Based on Accuracy and Precision", Ohio J. Sci., 1977, 77, 63-67.
His laboratory research program with Ph.D. graduate students in chemistry at the University of Iowa emphasized the dynamics of chemical reactions (chemical kinetics), chemical modeling and by-product predictions, reactions of chlorine dioxide, chlorine, and ozone as alternatives to chlorine in water purification. His research support continued with the National Science Foundation, the Atomic Energy Program and the National Institutes of Health. For Gilbert and Joyce, it was an exciting time with many new friends. In 1969, he was appointed a Visiting Professor as a Guest of the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science.
In 1973, he came to Miami University of Ohio as Chair of the Department of Chemistry. In that position, he continued to teach graduate and undergraduate classes and carried out a very active research program. He was Chair of the Chemistry Department for 11 years. His leadership was instrumental in building a strong, internationally recognized chemistry department owing to its excellent teaching staff and faculty research programs. His own personal research program was in part focused on the chemical reactions and accurate measurement of the oxy-halogen species used in purifying drinking water. This included specific reactions of interest to the US EPA such as dissolved chlorine, hypochlorous acid, hypochlorite ion, chlorite ion and chlorate ion. Several of the most significant peer-reviewed research papers he and his students published in this area during his early years at Miami University included the following:
Tang, T.-F.; Gordon, G. "Stoichiometry of the Reaction between Chlorite Ion and Hypochlorous Acid at pH 5", Env. Sci. & Tech., 1984, 18, 212-216.
Ikeda, Y.; Tang, T.-F.; Gordon, G. "Iodometric Method for Determination of Trace Chlorate Ion", Anal. Chem., 1984, 56, 71-73.
Tang, T.-F.; Gordon, G. "Quantitative Determination of Chloride, Chlorite, and Chlorate Ions in a Mixture by Successive Potentiometric Titrations", Anal. Chem., 1980, 52, 1430-1433.
Suzuki, K.; Gordon, G. "Direct Determination of Chlorite Ion in the Presence of Excess Hypochlorite Ion", Anal. Chem., 1978, 50, 1596-1597.
Cornelius, R.D.; Gordon, G. "Kinetics and Mechanism of the Oxidation of Vanadium(III) by Chlorine in Aqueous Solution", Inorg. Chem., 1976, 15, 997-1002 and 1002-1006.
Silverman, R.A.; Gordon, G. "Kinetics and Mechanism of the Oxidation of Uranium(IV) by Hypochlorous Acid in Aqueous Acidic Perchlorate Media", Inorg. Chem., 1976, 15, 35-39.
Grimley, E.; Gordon, G. " The Kinetics and Mechanism of the Reaction between Chlorine and Phenol in Acidic Aqueous Solution", J. Phys. Chem., 1973, 77, 973-978.
Grimley, E.; Gordon, G. "The Kinetics and Mechanism of the Reaction between Chlorine Dioxide and Phenolic Acidic Aqueous Solution", J. Inorg. Nucl. Chem., 1973, 35, 2383-2392.
As a result of the research published by Dr. Gordon, he received the following awards and recognition:
Distinguished Scientist Award in 1982 – Awarded by the Technical Societies Council in Cincinnati, The Sigma Xi Researcher of the Year, by the Miami University Chapter of Sigma Xi in 1982 and The Bradley University Distinguished Alumnus Award for 1986.
Ozone was also becoming an important oxidizing agent / disinfecting species being used to purify drinking water. His research was focused on developing better (more reliable) methods of analysis that could be readily used at drinking water purification sites by staff with minimal chemical training. Professor Gordon and his students also studied the chemical reactions of dissolved ozone and the relative rate of ozone decomposition itself. The details of this research and the resulting understanding of the associated chemistry has been widely recognized and appreciated by the members of the International Ozone Association. Some of the papers that are of interest in order to better understand the chemistry of ozone as a disinfectant for drinking water and the formation of as an unwanted disinfection by-product include the following:
Finch, G.R.; Haas, C.; Oppenheimer, J.A.; Gordon, G. "Design Criteria for Inactivation of Cryptosporidium by Ozone in Drinking Water", Ozone Science and Engineering, 2001, 23, 259-284.
Nemes, A.; Fábián, I.; Gordon, G. "Experimental Aspects of Mechanistic Studies on Aqueous O3" Decomposition in Aqueous Solution, Ozone, Science and Engineering, 2000, 22, 287-304.
Rakness, K.L.; Gordon, G.; Langlais, B.; Masschelein, W.; Matsumoto, N.; Richard, Y.; Robson, C.M.; Somiya, I. "Guideline for Measurement of Ozone Concentration in the Process Gas from an Ozone Generator", Ozone Science and Eng., 1996, 18, 209-229.
Gordon, G.; Rakness, K.; Robson, C.R. "Ozone Concentration Measurement in a Process Gas, Ozone Science and News, (Proposed International Ozone Association Pan American Group Guideline) 1993, 21 (4), pp 1-21.
Wood, D.; Rakness, K.; Vornehm, D.; Gordon, G. "Limitations of the Iodometric Method for the Determination of Ozone" J. Am Water Works Assoc.,1989, 81 (6), 72-76.
Gordon, G.; Pacey, G.E.; Cooper, W.J.; Rice, R.G. "Current State-of-the-Art Measurements of Ozone in the Gas Phase and in Solution", Ozone, Science and Technology, 1988, 10, 353-356.
Gordon, G. ; Pacey, G.E. "An Introduction to the Chemical Reactions of Ozone Pertinent to its Analysis", in Analytical Aspects of Ozone Treatment of Water and Wastewater -- A Monograph, Rice, R.G.; Bollyky, L. J.; Lacy, W. J. Editors, (Chelsea, MI: Lewis Publishers, Inc. 1987), Ch. 4, pp 41-52.
Tomiyasu, H.; Fukutomi, H.; Gordon, G. "The Kinetics and Mechanism of Ozone Decomposition in Basic Aqueous Solution", Inorg. Chem., 1985, 24, 2962-2966.
Grunwell, J.; Benga, J.; Cohen, H.; Gordon, G. "A Detailed Comparison of Analytical Methods for Residual Ozone Measurement", Ozone Science and Engineering, 1983, 5, 203-223.
When he stepped down as Chair of the Department of Chemistry, he was appointed as the Volwiler Distinguished Research Professor at Miami University. His appointment was renewed every five years, for a total of twenty years, until he retired from formal teaching. In 1993, he was awarded the prestigious Miami University Benjamin Harrison Medallion for his outstanding National and International contributions to education and research. He continued to conduct research and consult as an expert on the chemistry of drinking water chemistry with various drinking water utilities in North America, Europe and Japan. More than 50% of his contributions to the drinking water and waste water public utilities have been pro bono because of their importance to world health.
When Miami University required that undergraduates take an advanced level “Cap-Stone Course” prior to graduation, he volunteered to be the first instructor in the Chemistry Department to teach this type of course. It was entitled “Societal Issues in Chemistry – Is our Drinking Water Supply Safe?” The student evaluations of this course indicated that he had brought his love for understanding the chemistry of drinking water to their attention … and they ranked him and his class as outstanding.
In August of 2002, he received the Miami University Distinguished Scholar Award in recognition of outstanding achievements in his research and scholarly activities.
In 1989, he was lead author of a book entitled “Disinfectant Residual Measurement Methods”. His co-authors were Bill Cooper, Rip Rice, and Gil Pacey. It was published at the request of the American Water Works Association - Research Foundation (AWWA-RF). The book’s objective was to summarize all of the background information for each of the analytical methods then known for the measurement of drinking water disinfectants such as chlorine (FAC), chlorine dioxide and ozone. It was distributed to all participating drinking water utilities by the AWWA-RF. The original volume contained more than 880 individual citations to all of the known publications describing the chemistry of the then available analytical methods for each of the species noted above. The book was revised in 1992 and several hundred new citations were added along with a chapter on the chemistry of hydrogen peroxide. It may be the most widely known and widely used historical background and chemical description of disinfectants and disinfectant by-products available in the world.
Over the past 25 years, his major research activities have been focused on the chemistry of disinfectants used to improve the quality of drinking water and waste water answering the question; how could the chemistry of important disinfectants and disinfectant by-products be better understood? He and his students published many papers on the chemical properties and reaction kinetics of strong oxidizing agents such as chlorine, hypochlorous acid, chlorine dioxide, chlorate ion, permanganate ion, dichromate ion, ozone, hydrogen peroxide, bromine and iodine and many others as they reacted with metal ions.
Gilbert and his students carefully studied and documented the presence and formation of chlorate ion and perchlorate ion in stored bleach (sodium hypochlorite), to disinfect raw water on the way to becoming drinking water. In a similar manner, they also studied the chemical kinetics of the formation of bromate ion in waters containing bromide ion being treated with ozone as a part of the disinfection process. As Professor Gordon would say, “… we need to understand the details of the chemistry …”Several more of his most significant, related recent papers follow:
Stanford, B.D.; Pisarenko, A.N.; Snyder, S.A.; Gordon, G.; “Perchlorate, Bromate, and Chlorate in Hypochlorite Solutions: Guidelines for Utilities”, J. Am. Water Works Assoc., 2011, 103 (6), 71-83.
Snyder, S.A.; Stanford, B.D.; Pisarenko, A.N.; Gordon, G.; Asami, M. “Hypochlorite – An Assessment of Factors that Influence the Formation of Perchlorate and Other Contaminants” 2009, AWWA/WRF, Denver, CO available at http://www.awwa.org/files/GovtPublicAffairs/PDF/Hypo-chloriteAssess.pdf.
Pepich, B.V.; Dattilio, T.A.; Fair, S.P.; Munch, D.J.; Gordon, G.; and Körtvélyesi, Z. “An Improved Method for the Determination of Chlorine Dioxide and Chlorite Ion in Drinking Water Using Lissamine Green B and Horseradish Peroxidase”, Analytica Chemica Acta, 2006, 596, 37-45.
Körtvélyesi, Z.; Gordon, G. "Chlorite Ion Interference in the Spectrophotometric Measurement of Chlorine Dioxide", J. Am. Water Works Assoc., 2004, 96 (9), 81-87.
Hoehn, R.C.; Dietrich, A.M.; Farmer, W.S.; Orr, M.P.; Lee, R.G.; Aieta, E.M.; Wood, D.W.; and Gordon, G. "Household Odors Associated With the Use of Chlorine Dioxide", J. Am. Water Works Assoc., 1990, 82 (4), 166-172.
On at least four occasions, because of his international reputation as an expert in the explanation of the chemistry of chemical disinfectants, he was requested by the US EPA to resolve specific research issues that were of critical interest to the drinking water industry. These all required expanding our understanding of the chemical details associated with chemical processes directly associated with the improvement of drinking water quality. These projects involved: (1) An improved understanding in the chemistry and measurement of oxyhalogen species such chlorine dioxide, chlorite ion and chlorate ion, (2) Resolution of the chemistry of aqueous ozone solutions in terms of chemical stability, measurement of the active species created during the decomposition of ozone and improvements in the measurement of the concentration of ozone dissolved in aqueous solution and ozone in the gas phase, (3) A detailed examination of the chemistry and measurement of the products of electrolyzed salt-brine solutions, and (4) Final stages of development of the chemistry of an new, improved method of analysis for chlorine dioxide and chlorite using a single set of reagents and measured directly by visible spectrophotometry. The peer-reviewed manuscript noted above was published in 2006 with four EPA scientists. Dr. Gordon and his student (Körtvélyesi) were listed as the lead authors.
At the request of the US EPA and the American Water Works Association (AWWA), he served as a pro bono chemical expert on the AWWA Technical Advisory Work Group for Disinfectants / Disinfectant By-Products for an unprecedented term of eleven years. By request of the “Standards Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater” Editorial Board, he was a member of the Standing Committee on Ozone, a member of the Standing Committee on Chlorine Dioxide, and a member of the Standing Committee on Total Oxidants.
His research on the decomposition of bleach that is used in drinking water disinfection gained him additional world-wide attention. About 1990, for safety reasons, many drinking water utilities in United States and Canada were switching from gaseous chlorine to sodium hypochlorite. However, Professor Gordon conducted a pro bono nationwide survey of many utilities in North America and showed that decomposition of stored bleach was resulting in the formation of chlorate ion in excess of the amount then allowed in drinking water by existing EPA regulations.
He undertook research that allowed a detailed understanding of the decomposition of bleach in the pH region from 5 to 14. He and his students were able to predict the rate of bleach decomposition in the 10 to 55o C range starting from the time of manufacture to total decomposition within +/- 5% over a wide range of ancillary conditions. Currently, AWWA-RF has published his revised and updated predictive program called “Bleach 2001” and made it available to drinking water utilities throughout North America. It is now common for most Drinking Water Utilities in North America to routinely use this Windows based, user friendly computational aid to better understand how to minimize chlorate ion formation and the cost of the use of bleach as a disinfectant. Some of the most significant papers are as follows”:
Gordon, G.; Bolden, R.; Emmert, G. "Measuring Oxidant Species in Electrolyzed Salt Brine Solutions", J. Am. Water Works, 2002, 94 (10), 111-120.
Csordás, V.; Bubnis, B.; Fábián, I.; Gordon, G. "Kinetics and Mechanism of the Oxidation of Chlorine Dioxide by HOCl", Inorg. Chem., 40, 1833-1836, 2001.
Walters, B.D.; Gordon, G. Bubnis, B. "An Ion Chromatographic Method for Measuring 5?g/L Bromate Ion in Drinking Water", Anal. Chem., 69, 4275-4277, 1997.
Adam, L. and Gordon, G. "Hypochlorite Ion Decomposition: Effects of Temperature, Ionic Strength, and Chloride Ion", Inorg. Chem., 1999, 38, 1299-1304.
Gordon, G.; Adam, L.; Bubnis, B.; Kuo, C.; Cushing, R.; Sakaji, R. “Predicting Liquid Bleach Decomposition", J. Am. Water Works Assoc., 1997, 89 (4), 142-149.
Adam, L.; Gordon, G. "Direct and Sequential Potentiometric Analysis of Hypochlorite, Chlorite, and Chlorate Ions When Hypochlorite Ion Is Present in Large Excess", Anal. Chem., 1995, 67, 535-540.
Gordon, G.; Cooper, W.J.; Rice, R.G.; Pacey, G.E. Disinfectant Residual Measurement Methods, American Water Works Association - Research Foundation (ISBN 0-89867-617-7) Denver Colorado, Second Edition, 1992, 889 pp.
Adam, L.; Fábián, I. and Gordon, G. "Hypochlorous Acid Decomposition in the pH 5 to 8 Region” Inorg. Chem., 1992, 31, 3534-3541.
Professor Gordon, Dr. Istvan Fabian and his students were helped in their research by the availability of a Hungarian-based set of computer programs (Peintler, G. 1990, ZITA 1.2: “A Software Package for Fitting Kinetic Parameters”, Szged, Hungary) to test the validity of chemical mechanism used to predict the stability and decomposition of disinfectants such as ozone and chlorine dioxide. Years ago, most researchers studying chemical kinetics in aqueous solution used techniques such as those described in his book on chemical kinetics (Katakis, D.; Gordon, G., Mechanisms of Inorganic Reactions, John Wiley, 1987, 410 pp.). These methods were timely, but limited in scope because of the slowness of personal computers and the need to make many implicit assumptions in the details of the kinetic processes that are frequently not understood and/or tested experimentally. The advantage of the high speed personal computers currently available and the Hungarian-based set of computer programs is that kinetic solutions to complicated chemical reactions become readily available – and with appropriate sensitivity analysis the validity each individual rate constant can be verified. The detailed chemical solution to chemical reactions involving 30-50 individual steps, 50 – 100 independent differential equations, with data sets containing up to 500 data points under widely differing initial concentrations and temperatures can be solved simultaneously for the best fit of the data. This means that data sets containing upwards of 50,000 to 100,000 data points can be fitted to a detailed set of kinetic parameters and appropriate time – concentration profiles can be calculated. This break-through procedure has been successfully applied independently to the decomposition reactions of ozone, chlorine dioxide and free available chlorine.
In 2001, at the request of the US EPA, he was appointed as a Consultant to the Environmental Protection Agency, Emergency Response Team, Washington, D.C. for Selection of Chemicals to be used for the Decontamination of the Hart Senate Office Building and the Brentwood Post Office Sorting Facility in Brentwood, Maryland from Anthrax contamination. The expertise required was a detailed understanding and assessment of the use of gaseous chlorine dioxide and the associated chemistry related to public safety and human health.
The US EPA had all of the detailed microbiology information on the levels of chlorine dioxide required and the length of time required for decontamination. What they needed was expertise in terms of the chemistry of chlorine dioxide, the reactions of chlorine dioxide, and the ease of “quenching” any remaining chlorine dioxide after the contamination runs. Also required for this scientific analysis was an understanding of statistical data associated with multiple chemical measurements and an analysis of the resulting microbiological data in terms of reliability and efficacy of chlorine dioxide in the decontamination process.
After the decontamination process, he officially toured the Hart Office Building, reviewed all of the associated decontamination and analytical site data, along with the microbiological data in order to determine if and when the building was (or would be) safe for re-occupancy. All of the information and statistical data analysis was as a result of his detailed understanding on the chemistry of chlorine dioxide and its various possible chemical reactions.
He was thus asked by the US EPA to write the final letters of approval to re-enter the Hart Office Building Facilities, the associated public press releases, and the approval of the Final Report from Emergency Response Team on the decontamination effort itself.
In 2002 -2003, he served as the President of the International Ozone Association. He was International Treasurer from 1998 – 2001 and 2004 – 2006. As the International Treasurer of the International Ozone Association (IOA), he oversaw the financial obligations and budgeting of the IOA and coordinated his efforts with the treasurers of the Pan American Regional Group, the European, African and Asian Regional Group, and the Japanese Islands Regional Group.
In 2010, the International Ozone Association named Dr. Gordon as the 2010 recipient of the prestigious Morton J. Klein Medal of Excellence. The inscription on the medal is as follows: “An award of excellence to recognize contributions of the highest order to the International Ozone Association in commemoration of the clear vision, diplomatic proficiency, and unparalled leadership, which characterized the life of Morton J. Klein”. The Klein Award is presented only after very careful consideration by the International Board of Directors.
Part of his current research focus is on the reactions of dissolved ozone being used to disinfect drinking water and the formation of bromate ion from bromide ion originally present in the raw water. Ozone is a good disinfectant that quickly and efficiently kills many types of pathogens. However, the ozonation of bromide ion containing waters can form the disinfection by-product, bromate ion. The model assumes there is a finite, albeit small, risk at any dose above zero of a genotoxic carcinogen.
Bromate ion is a possible human carcinogen that is regulated by the US EPA at a Maximum Contaminant Level (MCL) of 10 micrograms per liter (µg/L). It is formed when natural waters containing bromide ion are treated with ozone. Professor Gordon in conjunction Dr. Joseph Cotruvo with research support from the National Water Research Institute have questioned the validity of the US EPA linearized dose-response model projection for bromate ion ingestion by humans at low doses (i.e. the actual shape and slope of the dose/response as the dose approaches zero).
The Gordon Research Group results are highly significant and show that the bromate ion half-life, in the presence of typical H+, Cl-, and H2S concentrations found in the stomach, is 1.5 – 2 minutes. Thus, as much as 99% of the ingested bromate ion should be decomposed while it is retained in the stomach. The results of these experiments became the basis for an International Conference at Miami University in 2005 and a continuing Research Program directed by Joe Cotruvo and Richard Bull. The eventual outcome of this research may result in a change in the toxicology model used to assess potential risks from species in drinking water. The following papers formed the basis for the above observations and conclusions:
Cotruvo, C.A.; Keith, J.D.; Bull, R.J.; Pacey, G.E.; Gordon, G. “Bromate Reduction in Simulated Gastric Juice”, J. Am. Water Works Assoc., 2010, 102 (11), 77-86.
Keith, J; Pacey, G.E.; Cotruvo, J.A.; Gordon, G. “Preliminary Data on the Fate of Bromate Ion in Simulated Gastric Juices”, Ozone: Science and Engineering, 2006, 28, 165-170.
Keith, J.D.; Pacey, G.E.; Cotruvo, J.A.; Gordon, G. “Experimental Results from the Reaction of Bromate Ion with Synthetic and Real Gastric Juices”, Toxicology, 2006, 221, 225-228.
He is also directing research on the chemical details of the formation of perchlorate ion in drinking water. The questions concerning the amount of perchlorate ion in drinking water sources and the possibility of perchlorate ion formation during the disinfection process are being investigated at Southern Nevada Water Authority (SNWA) with financial support from the AWWA and the AWWA-RF with Dr. Gordon’s research collaboration. As has always been the case in the drinking water industry projects, Dr. Gordon continues to remind those concerned about the issue that we must understand the details of the chemistry of perchlorate ion formation before we can understand how perchlorate ion is introduced into the water. His major contribution to the SNWA Project is experimental design, data analysis, and extraction of sufficient kinetic information in order to provide a predictive model for use by drinking water utilities in being able to minimize perchlorate ion formation in stored hypochlorite ion solutions.
During his 45-year research and teaching career, Professor Gordon has taught more than 10,000 undergraduate students, has published more than 200 peer-reviewed papers describing research with his graduate students, post-doctoral research associates, and other research colleagues. He has presented more than 400 research papers at national and international meetings. His research efforts have attracted more than $4 million dollars (well in excess of $14 million in current dollars). He has received numerous awards and honors recognizing his efforts and those done jointly with research colleagues.
Dr. Gordon will continue to research, consult, and advocate on issues that affect the drinking water industry. In 2009, he was a Senior Founding Partner of Gordon & Rosenblatt, LLC which is an independent firm specialized in the science, technology and application of ozone, chlorine dioxide and other oxy-halogen species.
He has received awards for his excellent teaching at the graduate and undergraduate level. His lifetime body of research and, the research yet to come, has had and will continue to have a major impact on both the teaching of chemistry and on the drinking water industry.
December, 2011