In 2001, the American Chemical Society (ACS) awarded the Priestley Medal to Fred Basolo “to recognize distinguished services to chemistry,” the Society’s most prestigious award.

Basolo, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, was a highly influential pioneer in the field of inorganic chemistry, greatly expanding understanding of how metal centers influence chemical reactions. He was an award-winning teacher as well, and was active in ACS, serving as the society’s president in 1983.