Michelle Francl Explained

Known For:	work in computational chemistry
Workplaces:	Bryn Mawr College
Awards:	Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award

Michelle M. Francl is an American chemist. Francl is a professor of chemistry, and has taught physical chemistry, general chemistry and mathematical modeling at Bryn Mawr College since 1986.^[1]

Francl is noted for developing new methodology in computational chemistry, including the 6-31G* basis set for Na to Ar and electrostatic potential charges.She received a Ph.D. from the University of California, Irvine in 1983.

On a list of the 1000 most cited chemists,^[2] Francl is a member of the editorial board for the Journal of Molecular Graphics and Modelling, active in the American Chemical Society and the author of The Survival Guide for Physical Chemistry. In 1994, she was awarded the Christian R. and Mary F. Lindback Award by Bryn Mawr College for excellence in teaching.^[3]

Francl's podcast, "Introduction to Quantum Mechanics," broke into the iTunes Top 100 in October 2005.^[4] She also currently writes for Nature Chemistry.^{[5] [6]}

In April 2016, Francl was named one of nine adjunct scholars of the Vatican Observatory also known as (Italian: Specola Vaticana).

Francl was awarded the 2019 American Chemical Society's Philadelphia Section Award which recognizes an individual, "who, by conspicuous scientific achievement through research, has made important contributions to man's knowledge and thereby aided the public appreciation of the profession."^[7]

In 2024, Francl's suggestion that adding a pinch of salt could mitigate bitterness in tea caused strong reactions in the United Kingdom, including one from the United States Embassy in London.^{[8] [9] [10]} Francl has subsequently noted that eating some fruits and vegetables can impact the duration of time that caffeine remains in the body.^[11]

Bibliography

Books

• Book: Francl, Michelle. Survival Guide for Physical Chemistry. Physics Curriculum & Instruction, Inc.. January 2002. Lakeville, MN. 0-9713134-0-7 .
• Book: Francl, Michelle. Steeped: The Chemistry of Tea. Royal Society of Chemistry. January 2024. 978-1-83916-591-7.

Articles

• CF3 Rotation in 3-trimethylfluorophenanthrene: X-ray Diffraction and ab initio Electronic Structure Calculations, X. Wang, F.B. Mallory, C.W. Mallory, A.J. Rheingold, P.A. Beckmann, M.M. Francl, J. Phys. Chem. A, 110, 3954-3960 (2006).
• A Theoretical Study of the Reduction Of Carbonyls By Alkylaluminum Complexes, J.W. Bundens, P.R. Seida, D. Jeyakumar and M.M. Francl, Journal of Molecular Graphics and Modeling, 24, 195-202 (2005).
• Exploring Exotic Kinetics: An Introduction to the Use of Numerical Methods in Chemical Kinetics, M. M. Francl J. Chem. Educ., 81, 1535 (2004).
• An Ab Initio MO Study of the Symmetric And Asymmetric Isomers of Bridging Alkynylaluminum and Alkynylberyllium Dimers, P. R. Seida, J.W. Bundens, M.M. Francl, Int. J. Quantum Chem., 95, 806-809 (2003).

External links

• Michelle Francl faculty page
• Introduction to Quantum Chemistry podcast

Notes and References

1. News: Guarino. Ben. Rosenberg. Eli. California ordered to add cancer warning to coffee, but the science doesn't hold up. Washington Post. 30 March 2018.
2. Web site: 1000 Most Cited Chemists 1981-1997. https://archive.today/19980214055403/http://pcb4122.univ-lemans.fr/1000chimistes.html. dead. 14 February 1998. 14 February 1998. univ-lemans.fr.
3. Web site: Archived copy . 2009-07-11 . https://web.archive.org/web/20110614222644/http://www.brynmawr.edu/chemistry/mfrancl/CVFrancl2004.pdf . 2011-06-14 . dead .
4. Web site: Bryn Mawr Now: Bryn Mawr Chemistry Podcast Cracks iTunes Top 100. https://web.archive.org/web/20071106065153/http://www.brynmawr.edu/news/2005-11-10/podcast.shtml. dead. 6 November 2007. 6 November 2007.
5. Francl. Michelle. Table manners. Nature Chemistry. 1 May 2009. 1. 2. 97–98. 10.1038/NCHEM.183. 21378810. 2009NatCh...1...97F.
6. Francl. Michelle. Atomic women. Nature Chemistry. 22 March 2018. 10. 4. 373–375. 10.1038/S41557-018-0038-3. 29568054. 2018NatCh..10..373F. 7907995.
7. Web site: Philadelphia Section Award. American Chemical Society. en. 2019-07-11.
8. News: Mather . Victor . January 24, 2024 . The Biggest British-American Tea Kerfuffle Since ... Well, You Know . The New York Times.
9. News: Frayer . Lauren . January 25, 2024 . A U.S. scientist's tea recipe has Brits aghast. Salt? Warm milk? The horror! . NPR.
10. News: 2024-01-24 . US scientist recommends adding salt to make perfect cup of tea . 2024-02-17 . en-GB.
11. News: Davis . Nicola . correspondent . Nicola Davis Science . 2024-02-16 . Deja brew: chemistry professor's latest advice on tea drinking – try grapefruit . 2024-02-17 . The Guardian . en-GB . 0261-3077.