ORIGINAL PAPER Paolo Chini: The Chemical Architect of Metal Carbonyl Clusters Matteo Paolieri 1 • Iacopo Ciabatti 2 • Marco Fontani 1 Received: 6 May 2019 Ó Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2019 Abstract This paper focuses on the life and scientific career of Paolo Chini (1928–1980), an Italian chemist with a great experi- mental ingenuity. In Italy and abroad he really represented a key figure for his fundamental industrial and academic research. He took an active part on the development of polypropylene polymer synthesis pathway together with Giulio Natta and he has been a pioneer for the synthesis and characterization of high nuclearity metal carbonyl clusters: a borderline discipline between molecular and solid-state chemistry. This work also includes eyewitness testimonies of Chini’s close friends and relatives, in order to give the reader an accurate biography of this scientist. Keywords Paolo Chini Á MCC Á Cluster Á Polypropylene Á Biography Á Inorganic chemistry Biography: From Glazed Ceramics to Metal Carbonyl Clusters The Chini family certainly represents the highest and most original expression of creative and talented men in the Mugello region, in northern Tuscany, from the time of Giotto di Bondone (1267–1337), Beato Angelico (1395–1455), and Andrea Del Castagno (1421–1457). The Chini family had solid and deep roots in Mugello. The ties that bind the ‘‘Chinis’’ and Mugello are unique and historical: the founder of this artistic dynasty was the painter Pietro Antonio Chini 1 (1800–1876), a man who simply matched the new vision of the art of the mid nineteenth century, that idealized the human form, understanding the key aspect. 2 The Chini family also gave birth to men of letters; father Lino Chini (1834–1902), parson of Sesto Fiorentino, was the author of a pleasant history of Mugello, demonstrating a witty erudition and a consistent interdisciplinary culture [2]. In 1897, the third generation of Chinis gave life to the manufacture of Ceramics. With the beginning of the twentieth century, the cousins Chino Chini (1870–1957) and Galileo Chini (1873–1956) expanded their activity, as & Matteo Paolieri matpaolieri@gmail.com Iacopo Ciabatti i.ciabatti@tcaspa.com Marco Fontani marco.fontani@unifi.it 1 Department of Chemistry ‘‘Ugo Schiff’’, Universita ` degli Studi di Firenze, Sesto Fiorentino, Firenze, Italy 2 R&D Manager, TCA S.p.A, Capolona, Arezzo, Italy 1 His real name was Pietro Antonio Degl’Innocenti. Pietro’s father was a foundling, and was raised by a charitable institution, ‘‘Ospedale del Bigallo’’, that takes in abandoned new-born babies, and gave him the fictitious surname Degl’Innocenti. Becoming older, Pietro Anto- nio was given the nickname ‘‘Chini’’ that would originate the present surname [1]. 2 Soon Pietro Alessio was joined by illustrious figures such as Leto Chini (1848–1910), Dario Chini (1847–1897), and Tito ( 1883) who continued the artistic activity; undoubtedly another member of the family, Galileo Chini (1873–1956) would have become the most celebrated artist of the family; at the eve of the new century he become the better known member of his family across Europe and United States. 123 Journal of Cluster Science https://doi.org/10.1007/s10876-019-01607-7