LABORATORY OF MOLECULAR STRUCTURE AND DYNAMICS INSTITUTE OF CHEMISTRY, EÖTVÖS UNIVERSITY

Ferenc Török (1929 - 1981)

Ferenc Török was born in Pécs, Hungary in 1929. He started his university studies in 1947 in the Department of Chemistry of Eötvös University and received his MSc degree in 1952. The same year he became the co-worker of Professor Béla Lengyel at the Department of General and Inorganic Chemistry of the same institute. Ferenc Török received his first higher degree in chemistry (Candidate of Chemical Science) in 1960. He was member of the Inorganic Chemistry Research Group of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences from 1962, and later became the leader of its theoretical chemistry division. He received another MSc degree in 1967, this time in applied mathematics. He received his second higher degree in chemistry (Doctor of Chemical Sciences) in 1970 and became professor of chemistry at the Department of General and Inorganic Chemisrty of Eötvös University in 1971.
Ferenc Török made important contributions to several fields of chemistry: organosilicon chemistry, vibrational (infrared and Raman) spectroscopy, polymer sciences, and, most importantly, molecular quantum chemistry.
Ferenc Török was a generous, mild-mannered person whose profound ideas and suggestions became cornerstones for several scientific inquiries. Many of his students owe much of their professional career to his guidance. Perhaps the most unique achievement of Professor Török was the creation of a Hungarian school of modern structural chemistry, with a special blend of quantum chemistry and spectroscopy, a truly revolutionary idea in the early 1960's.
Beside research, Professor Török put great emphasis on teaching, as well. He contributed significantly to the reform of high-school chemistry teaching in Hungary. He co-authored, with Professor Ede Kapuy, a book entitled Electronic Structure of Atoms and Molecules, perhaps still the best Hungarian textbook on quantum chemistry.
The establishment of the Török Lecture Series in quantum chemistry at his home institution recognizes the contributions and legacy of this remarkable scientist.

Lectures