To What Extent Metal Science Wins Over Chemistry
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A semianalytic study on: To what extent metal science wins over chemistry (or, vice versa) when based on some illuminating example of Jan science Czochralski while celebrating his Year 2013 in Poland? Adam GADOMSKI* – Department of Physics, Institute of Mathematics and Physics, University of Technology and Life Sciences, Bydgoszcz, Poland Please cite as: CHEMIK 2014, 68, 5, 500–504 Some preliminary address the time interval of the world’s economic crisis in the beginning of The comprehensive life story of Professor Jan Czochralski the 1930s has to be indicated [2], and rediscovered within Table 1. (1885–1953) is to be explained to a researcher by his record of the research performed quite more than one hudred years ago and Brief descritption of main Czochralski’s achievements with thereafter until 1940 [1]. The research done by Czochralski [2] was their discussion an exceptional and unique scientific attempt of those times because Let us take for granted that we are in a position to uncover the it has actually been done by a “freshman”, or as the German people main-subject of Czochralski’s research when embarking on the data used to say, an Autodidakt, namely a gifted and skilful person who provided by Table 1, and complemented by Figure 1 provided. was able, being formally not strongly educated, to teach himself, Of course, Table 1 contains much more data than Figure 1 and was then capable of taking direct practical advantage of such because it is designed as to reveal properly the basic historical and intense self-teaching [2]. immersed-personal context associated with Jan Czochralski during Jan Czochralski was a person who achieved a formal scientific the time span of 1913–1940. success in at least three subdisciplines of physicochemical metallurgy First of all, the time span was full of decisive facts and many to which he might clearly belong. One of those subdisciplines is breathtaking historical events, being full of huge reprecussions inevitably going to be metal crystallization, and the determination on one’s destination in life. As can be inferred from Table 1 such of pulling the selected metallic crystals from a melt [3]. This has a property is assigned to Czochralski’s life addressing history, been continuously considered as his greatest achievement, so much with very complex impact on him and his family, even until the influencing the modern high-technology, involving the integrated present time [6-8]. microelectronic circuits, microprocessors, memory circuits, and the Secondly, when looking at both graphical sources involved, one likes [2]. The second subdiscipline appears to be the phase-change, may infer from them that there is a publishing-irregularity (and metallic-systems involving research, adopting the recrystallization slight repetition-bearing) matter involved in the Table 1, so well phase diagrams, depicted in terms of strain- temperature and grain graphically unravelled by Figure 1, where the peek of Czochralski’s size of a final polycrystalline material outcome [4]. The third area research activity goes toward the narrow interval of 1936–37. It of Czochralski’s activity concerns the metal-surface science original remains a solid but separate topic to be debated why mostly other research, especially the one performed around 1925 with the aid of than those of that period research achievements are the ones of the on-his-own invented radiomicroscope, the device itself apparently greatest reception by the scientific community of interest. In other uncovering future scanning-tunelling and atomic-force microscopy words, is Czochralski’s research while in Germany more worthy basic ideas [5]. It served to scan the metal-piece surface in terms in terms of its value than that performed after coming to Warsaw? of determining its roughness by means of detecting the changes in Frankly, it seems to the present author that while in Germany, acoustic wave reception by the investigatior performing the type of Czochralski succeeded more in terms of research value but he research [2, 5]. worked really successfully as to plant the former success into Polish The aim of the article is to shed a thorough light on the ground, the latter being substantiated by the greatest publishing research achievements by the well-known and respected achievemenets while working in Poland. The question remains, in researcher, Jan Czochralski, the achievements juxtaposed in general, unanswered, since Czochralski’s activity has finally been Table 1 provided below, upon placing them within an appropriate interrupted by the World War II (cf., WWII in Tab. 1) overwhelming historical and geopolitical context (see, Tab. 1 contents), assumed and negative influence [2, 6, 7]. that Czochralski performed 15 of 24 active research years under Thirdly, there remains a principal question of the present study German research administration, and the remaining 9 years to be answered, as to which main topic did Czochralski’s research under its Polish counterpart, while 4 years of his research activity, ultimately belong? The question is legitimate to pose since many witnessed by both Table 1 and Figure 1 included within the present people discover Czochralski as chemist while others describe him text body, were remaining as more or less inactive, when looking as a metal-science researcher, whereas some speak about him as at four zeros (0-values) provided by the middle column of Table 1, a crystallographer; a minority of nowadays’ researchers describe in accord with the internet source [1]. In addition, there remains him even as a technical physicist, and they also seem not to be a certain hope coming from [2] that those research years were devoid of some right on the subject-matter addressed. (There not necessarily totally empty in terms of some at least minor and are some that classify Czochralski as a member of pharmaceutical historical-context addressing activity of Czochralski, especially when community – they may be right form very early historical point of view, also indicating before-dying episode of him, when a pharmacy Corresponding author: enterprise called Bion was created by him in his birth place in Kcynia Adam GADOMSKI, e-mail: [email protected] at the turn of the 1940s and 1950s [2, 7].) nr 5/2014 • tom 68 • 501 Summing up in part, when looking at Table 1, one can see of-consequences (thus, really complex) historical-geopolitical that all invoking properly Czochralski’s research interest and contexts, fully approve for arguing the overall matter in such way. activity may be right. This is confirmed by the column headed as It is, however, worth to note unequivocally that the most ‘Main Subject or Area of Research’. From its contents it follows informative part of this section is built in the Table 1, and its contents that Czochralski’s research can be most appropriately, according (thus, to be analyzed by the reader on her/his own), also graphically science to the present author’s knowledge, assigned to the physicochemical emphasized by Figure 1, as far as the publication matter analysis of metallurgy, presumed that mechanical properties of metals and Czochralski’s achievements has been concerned. Then, the reader their alloys (and/or, composites) belong to specific, though well- is able to discover for her- or himself the answer to the question established, physical properties of the system under consideration involved in the article’s title. Anyway, the author’s answer has been [6]. By the way, the main fruitful time period (1936–37) of his provided for comparative reasons. The answer is included in the research activity, when working in Poland, confirms in full a quite following, and it might be taken as not really unique, though being interdisciplinary-in-nature descriptive statement. In our opinion, the of more interdisciplinary nature, which is really the case advocated contents of Table 1, being, in fact, a collection of Czochralski’s life by the present author. Namely, none of the sciences mentioned in milestones, also corroborated by Figure 1 in terms of its adequate the title wins readily but rather both, as an entirely interdisciplinary graphical depiction, immersed within those colorful and pleanty- science, are actually the winners. Table 1 The so-prepared collection of events and data, containing 28 rows and 5 columns, is going to express semi-quantitatively the scientifically most productive life span of Jan Czochralski (1885–1953), who was born in Kcynia, and died unexpectedly (after former Polish secret service action while at home [2, 7]) in Poznań, both of the towns located in central part of Poland, namely in Greater Poland; Czochralski was born Kcynia in 1885 when the small town belonged to the German part of the occupied Polish territory. Some specific notation applied to the Table 1 ought to be explained to a reader – they are mainly contained in parentheses, and indicated by italic. First, they may indicate that the number (#) of Czochralski’s publications should increase by one. Second, they may show some repetitive matter in his publications because it has been customary to publish the same matter at least twice within the same year due to its very novel character or large practical consequences. And third, the patents (co)authored by Czochralski, thanks to which he might be taken as a relatively rich person (especially, when invoking the metal B, and the bearings used then by railway national companies [2, 4, 7]), have been indicated in the italic mode in fifth column, and within the round parentheses. It is entitled