Donald J. Darensbourg is an American inorganic chemist. He is a distinguished professor of chemistry at Texas A&M University. He was elected a member of the National Academy of Sciences in 2022.^[1] His impactful work delves into spectroscopic and mechanistic exploration of metal carbonyl derivatives, alongside his research into the chemistry of carbon dioxide with various metal substrates, defining catalytic copolymerization reactions involving carbon dioxide, epoxides, or oxetanes.

Born in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in 1941, Darensbourg obtained a BS from California State University in 1964, followed by a PhD from University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1968 under the guidance of Theodore L. Brown.^[2]

Darensbourg started work as a research chemist at Texaco Research Center in 1968. In 1969, he was appointed assistant professor at the State University of New York at Buffalo. In 1973, he taught at Tulane University, eventually attaining the rank of professor. In 1982, Donald Darensbourg moved to Texas A&M University with Marcetta Y. Darensbourg.^[2] He was awarded the title of Distinguished Professor in 2010.^[3]

Darensbourg's research interests include using carbon dioxide as monomer and solvent in the production of biodegradable copolymers.