Transition metal-dioxygen complexes have fascinated bioinorganic and inorganic chemists for over half a century. The late Nobumasa Kitajima was one of the very successful researchers in this field. Despite his short career (40 years old), he made many important contributions. This Commentary highlights his important accomplishments and how they have impacted subsequent work in this area.
Keywords: Copper; Dioxygen; Hydrotris(pyrazolyl)borate; Model complex; X-ray structure.