George Parshall (1929-2019) was an organometallic chemist who made notable contributions to homogeneous catalysis. He worked as a senior scientist at E. I. du Pont de Nemours & Company for thirty-eight years.

Parshall received a Bachelor of Science degree with the highest distinction from the University of Minnesota in 1951. He received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1954.

Parshall joined the Central Research Department at the DuPont Experimental Station in 1954, eventually becoming director of chemical sciences. His research focused on the activation of carbon-hydrogen bonds. Parshall conducted research studies on using molten salts in catalysis, nitrogen fixation, and organolanthanide chemistry. He worked on making critical polymer intermediates used in producing nylon, polyester, and spandex. Parshall retired from the DuPont Company in 1992.

After retirement, he assisted the National Research Council in developing methods to safely dispose of the U.S. Army's chemical weapons stockpile.

Parshall was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, received DuPont's Lavoisier Award, received two major awards from the American Chemical Society, was a guest lecturer, and wrote many scientific articles and a textbook.