Britt was the lead author of the paper titled "Themolysis of Phenethyl Phenyl Ether - A Model of Ether Linkages in Low Rank Coal." Dr. Archibald C. Buchanan III, also of the Chemical and Analytical Sciences Division, and Elizabeth A. Malcolm, a research assistant from the Oak Ridge Research Institute, were co-authors. This is the second time in five years that Britt and Buchanan have won the award, which includes a certificate and a cash award.
The Richard A. Glenn award is sponsored by Bituminous Coal Research, Inc., and is presented in recognition of key contributions in coal research. The paper provides a model study to describe thermal reactions of oxygen containing compounds found in low rank coal, which are in chemical forms that often hinder their thermal processing into liquid fuels or chemicals of high quality. In 1990 Britt and Buchanan won for a paper describing the design of a model to understand the thermal reactivity of coal liquefaction.
Britt joined ORNL in 1988. He is a member of the physical organic chemistry group. He received a bachelor's degree in chemistry from James Madison University in Virginia, and a doctorate in organic chemistry from the University of Texas at Austin. Britt is a member of the American Chemistry Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science. He and his wife, Deborah, live with their daughter in Knoxville.
Buchanan, who joined ORNL in 1978, is leader of the physical organic chemistry group in the Chemistry Division. He has a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Hampden-Sydney College in Virginia, and a doctorate in physical chemistry from the University of Wisconsin at Madison. Buchanan is a member of the American Chemical Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and Sigma Xi. He has also received two technical achievement awards from Martin Marietta Energy Systems. Buchanan and his wife, Michelle, live with their daughter in Knoxville.
ORNL, one of DOE's multiprogram national research and development facilities, is managed by Martin Marietta Energy Systems, which also manages the Oak Ridge K-25 Site and the Oak Ridge Y-12 Plant.