The Straight Dope on Isotopes
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Marie Curie and Her Time
Marie Curie and Her Time by Hélène Langevin-Joliot to pass our lives near each other hypnotized by our dreams, your patriotic dream, our humanitarian dream, arie Curie (1867–1934) belongs to that exclu- and our scientific dream.” sive group of women whose worldwide rec- Frederick Soddy wrote about Marie that she was Mognition and fame have endured for a century “the most beautiful discovery of Pierre Curie.” Of or more. She was indeed one of the major agents of course, it might also be said that Pierre Curie was the scientific revolution which allowed experimen- “the most beautiful discovery of Marie Skłodowska.” tal investigation to extend beyond the macroscopic It is difficult to imagine more contrasting personali- world. Her work placed the first stone in the founda- ties than those of Pierre and of Marie. In spite of that, tion of a new discipline: radiochemistry. And Curie’s or because of that, they complemented each other achievements are even more remarkable since they astonishingly well. Pierre was as dreamy as Marie was occurred in the field of science, an intellectual activ- organized. At the same time, they shared similar ideas ity traditionally forbidden to women. However, these about family and society. accomplishments alone don’t seem to fully explain the near mythic status of Marie Curie today. One hundred years ago, she was often considered to be just an assistant to her husband. Perhaps the reason her name still resonates is because of the compelling story of her life and her intriguing personality. The Most Beautiful Discovery of Pierre Curie The story of the young Maria Skłodowska leaving In this iconic photograph of participants at the Fifth her native Poland to pursue upper-level studies in Solvay Conference in 1927, Marie Curie is third from Paris sounds like something out of a novel. -
The Nobel Laureate George De Hevesy (1885-1966) - Universal Genius and Father of Nuclear Medicine Niese S* Am Silberblick 9, 01723 Wilsdruff, Germany
Open Access SAJ Biotechnology LETTER ISSN: 2375-6713 The Nobel Laureate George de Hevesy (1885-1966) - Universal Genius and Father of Nuclear Medicine Niese S* Am Silberblick 9, 01723 Wilsdruff, Germany *Corresponding author: Niese S, Am Silberblick 9, 01723 Wilsdruff, Germany, Tel: +49 35209 22849, E-mail: [email protected] Citation: Niese S, The Nobel Laureate George de Hevesy (1885-1966) - Universal Genius and Father of Nuclear Medicine. SAJ Biotechnol 5: 102 Article history: Received: 20 March 2018, Accepted: 29 March 2018, Published: 03 April 2018 Abstract The scientific work of the universal genius the Nobel Laureate George de Hevesy who has discovered and developed news in physics, chemistry, geology, biology and medicine is described. Special attention is given to his work in life science which he had done in the second half of his scientific career and was the base of the development of nuclear medicine. Keywords: George de Hevesy; Radionuclides; Nuclear Medicine Introduction George de Hevesy has founded Radioanalytical Chemistry and Nuclear Medicine, discovered the element hafnium and first separated stable isotopes. He was an inventor in many disciplines and his interest was not only focused on the development and refinement of methods, but also on the structure of matter and its changes: atoms, molecules, cells, organs, plants, animals, men and cosmic objects. He was working under complicated political situation in Europe in the 20th century. During his stay in Germany, Austria, Hungary, Switzerland, Denmark, and Sweden he wrote a lot papers in German. In 1962 he edited a large part of his articles in a collection where German papers are translated in English [1]. -
Appendix E Nobel Prizes in Nuclear Science
Nuclear Science—A Guide to the Nuclear Science Wall Chart ©2018 Contemporary Physics Education Project (CPEP) Appendix E Nobel Prizes in Nuclear Science Many Nobel Prizes have been awarded for nuclear research and instrumentation. The field has spun off: particle physics, nuclear astrophysics, nuclear power reactors, nuclear medicine, and nuclear weapons. Understanding how the nucleus works and applying that knowledge to technology has been one of the most significant accomplishments of twentieth century scientific research. Each prize was awarded for physics unless otherwise noted. Name(s) Discovery Year Henri Becquerel, Pierre Discovered spontaneous radioactivity 1903 Curie, and Marie Curie Ernest Rutherford Work on the disintegration of the elements and 1908 chemistry of radioactive elements (chem) Marie Curie Discovery of radium and polonium 1911 (chem) Frederick Soddy Work on chemistry of radioactive substances 1921 including the origin and nature of radioactive (chem) isotopes Francis Aston Discovery of isotopes in many non-radioactive 1922 elements, also enunciated the whole-number rule of (chem) atomic masses Charles Wilson Development of the cloud chamber for detecting 1927 charged particles Harold Urey Discovery of heavy hydrogen (deuterium) 1934 (chem) Frederic Joliot and Synthesis of several new radioactive elements 1935 Irene Joliot-Curie (chem) James Chadwick Discovery of the neutron 1935 Carl David Anderson Discovery of the positron 1936 Enrico Fermi New radioactive elements produced by neutron 1938 irradiation Ernest Lawrence -
ARIE SKLODOWSKA CURIE Opened up the Science of Radioactivity
ARIE SKLODOWSKA CURIE opened up the science of radioactivity. She is best known as the discoverer of the radioactive elements polonium and radium and as the first person to win two Nobel prizes. For scientists and the public, her radium was a key to a basic change in our understanding of matter and energy. Her work not only influenced the development of fundamental science but also ushered in a new era in medical research and treatment. This file contains most of the text of the Web exhibit “Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity” at http://www.aip.org/history/curie/contents.htm. You must visit the Web exhibit to explore hyperlinks within the exhibit and to other exhibits. Material in this document is copyright © American Institute of Physics and Naomi Pasachoff and is based on the book Marie Curie and the Science of Radioactivity by Naomi Pasachoff, Oxford University Press, copyright © 1996 by Naomi Pasachoff. Site created 2000, revised May 2005 http://www.aip.org/history/curie/contents.htm Page 1 of 79 Table of Contents Polish Girlhood (1867-1891) 3 Nation and Family 3 The Floating University 6 The Governess 6 The Periodic Table of Elements 10 Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev (1834-1907) 10 Elements and Their Properties 10 Classifying the Elements 12 A Student in Paris (1891-1897) 13 Years of Study 13 Love and Marriage 15 Working Wife and Mother 18 Work and Family 20 Pierre Curie (1859-1906) 21 Radioactivity: The Unstable Nucleus and its Uses 23 Uses of Radioactivity 25 Radium and Radioactivity 26 On a New, Strongly Radio-active Substance -
Dynamis-8 29.Indd
Isotope research before Isotopy: George Hevesy’s early radioactivity research in the Hungarian context Gábor Palló Institute for Philosophical Research, Hungarian Academy of Science. [email protected] Dynamis Fecha de recepción: 22 de febrero de 2008 [0211-9536] 2009; 29: 167-189 Fecha de aceptación: 12 de mayo de 2008 SUMMARY: 1.—Introduction. 2.—Two types of radioactivity research. 3.—The reception of radioactivity in Hungary. 4.—Starting migration: Béla Szilárd. 5.—George Hevesy’s early radioactivity research. 6.—Hevesy’s connection with the Hungarian scientific community in the 1910s. 7.—The origin of the radioactive tracer method. 8.—Delocalized research work. 9.—Budapest: The first applications of isotopes as indicators and tracers. 10.—Epilogue and concluding remarks. ABSTRACT: This paper presents a framework for the study of George Hevesy’s research in the 1910s by distinguishing two styles of radioactivity research: the analytical (as practices in Manchester and Vienna in some extent) and the natural historical styles (as practiced in Hungary). Georg Hevesy’s approach combined the two types. Indeed, by studying Hevesy’s research in context, I show that the earliest applications of isotopes were born in parallel with the establishment of the isotope theory of matter. PALABRAS CLAVE: Hungría, metodología de trazadores radioactivos, radioactividad, Béla Szilárd, George Hevesy, estilos de investigación científi ca. KEY WORDS: Hungary, radioactive tracer methodology, radioactivity, Béla Szilárd, George Hevesy, styles of scientifi c research. 1. Introduction George Hevesy was one of the earliest scientists to initiate and carry out research work applying radioactive isotopes. Frederick Soddy created the word «isotope» in February 18, 1913 1. -
Ernest Rutherford : La Transformation Radioactive
Ernest Rutherford – Radioactive Change By Pierre Radyanyi Director of Honorary Research at CNRS ABSTRACT At the beginning of the 20th century, Rutherford, born in New Zealand, carried out a series of remarkable experiments in Montreal, some of which in collaboration with Frederick Soddy. He showed, using thorium, that radioactivity is the transmutation from one chemical element to another by the emission of radiation. In 1903, Rutherford and Soddy drew together the conclusions of their work in the article Radioactive Change. After his Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1908, Rutherford discovered in Manchester during 1911 that the atom possessed a nucleus, and in 1919 observed the first nuclear reaction. He became the director of the Cavendish laboratory in Cambridge and could count amongst his colleagues and students many prestigious chemists and physicists. Figure 1: Ernest Rutherford (1871-1937) (Nobel Foundation Prize) 1 FROM NEW ZEALAND TO MONTREAL VIA CAMBRIDGE Ernest Rutherford’s tomb can be found in Westminster Abbey, not far from that of Isaac Newton. A major pioneer of radioactive science and nuclear physics, he was one of the great physicists of the first half of the twentieth century. He was born into a large family (he was one of twelve children) in 1871 in Spring Grove, near Nelson, on the northern edge of the southern island of New Zealand. His parents were of Scottish origin. His father had various occupations; he was responsible for a sawmill, made the sleepers for railway lines and was a linen maker. His mother was a primary school teacher, attending to the family. The New Zealand of Rutherford’s Time New Zealand is composed of two mountainous islands, spreading North to South in the South Pacific Ocean. -
Stefanie Horovitz, Ellen Gleditsch, Ada Hitchins, and the Discovery of Isotopes
Bull. Hist. Chem., VOLUME 25, Number 2 (2000) 103 STEFANIE HOROVITZ, ELLEN GLEDITSCH, ADA HITCHINS, AND THE DISCOVERY OF ISOTOPES Mrln . nrCnh nd Gffr W. nrCnh, Sr Wlfrd Grnfl Cll In th ntf dvr pr, n tnd t f r f 860 (4. h ht r nltd th n th "Grt " nd nr th rrhr h th v tht th fndtn f htr dpndd d th tl dvr r ntrbtd nfntl pn th n vl f th t ht f h l t th dvr. h frt dttn f plr a nt—nd n th tblt f th lnt th l xpl h brvtn d b rd lv. t tdnt, ln rnll, bt t hr prvr, h frt r n th fçd f trdtnl h Anthn h, h rvd th bl rz fr th tr th th dvr f rdtv trnfr dvr (. In th frt dd f th 20th ntr, tn (. h vr p n th d n th l f ttrbtn t th lbbnh rrhr h r dntfd b n lnd t tht f th prnt. hd nfnt fft f hdn th ntrbtn f r xpl, thr dd t thr I, t n ntt, fr f r bl t br thrh thr II, t rdthr, t thr , nd th "l ln" nd ttn rntn pr r n. At th t, h f th p blvd t rhr. b n nd n lnt. It MC nd At n n r hr n n n 0 h prvdd th nxt p n th pzzl th tt pld tv thh brdnt rl (2 (th th ttnt tht (6: th xptn f Mr Cr nd Mtnr. -
María Goeppert Mayer: De Gotinga a Premio Nobel De Física
José Manuel Sánchez Ron José Manuel Sánchez Ron María Goeppert Mayer: de Gotinga a Premio María Goeppert Mayer: Nobel de Física de Gotinga a Premio María Goeppert Mayer (1906-1972) fue una de las cuatro José Manuel Sánchez Ron se Nobel de Física mujeres que, hasta la fecha, han obtenido el Premio Nobel licenció en Física en la Universidad de Física: Marie Curie (1903), María Goeppert Mayer Complutense de Madrid y doctoró en la Universidad de Londres. (1963), Donna Strickland (2018) y Andrea Ghez (2020). Desde 2019 es catedrático emérito Insertando su biografía y contribuciones en el contexto de de Historia de la Ciencia en la los mundos científico y nacional en los que vivió (Alemania Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, y Estados Unidos), el catedrático emérito de Historia de la donde antes de obtener esa cátedra en 1994 fue profesor titular Ciencia en la Universidad Autónoma de Madrid y miembro de Física Teórica. Es autor de de la Real Academia Española, José Manuel Sánchez Ron, numerosas e influyentes obras de reconstruye en este libro los avatares de su carrera, que la historia de la ciencia internacional llevó de la Universidad de Gotinga a la de California en San y española. En 2015 recibió el Diego, pasando por Johns Hopkins, Columbia y Chicago. Premio Nacional de Ensayo por El mundo después de la revolución. Dotada especialmente para la física teórica, sin embargo las La física de la segunda mitad del “circunstancias” de su vida no le permitieron desarrollar un siglo xx, el primer Premio Nacional programa de investigación con cierta coherencia y continuidad. -
The Isotope Effect: Prediction, Discussion, and Discovery
1 The isotope effect: Prediction, discussion, and discovery Helge Kragh Centre for Science Studies, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus, Denmark. ABSTRACT The precise position of a spectral line emitted by an atomic system depends on the mass of the atomic nucleus and is therefore different for isotopes belonging to the same element. The possible presence of an isotope effect followed from Bohr’s atomic theory of 1913, but it took several years before it was confirmed experimentally. Its early history involves the childhood not only of the quantum atom, but also of the concept of isotopy. Bohr’s prediction of the isotope effect was apparently at odds with early attempts to distinguish between isotopes by means of their optical spectra. However, in 1920 the effect was discovered in HCl molecules, which gave rise to a fruitful development in molecular spectroscopy. The first detection of an atomic isotope effect was no less important, as it was by this means that the heavy hydrogen isotope deuterium was discovered in 1932. The early development of isotope spectroscopy illustrates the complex relationship between theory and experiment, and is also instructive with regard to the concepts of prediction and discovery. Keywords: isotopes; spectroscopy; Bohr model; atomic theory; deuterium. 1. Introduction The wavelength of a spectral line arising from an excited atom or molecule depends slightly on the isotopic composition, hence on the mass, of the atomic system. The phenomenon is often called the “isotope effect,” although E-mail: [email protected]. 2 the name is also used in other meanings. -
Frederick Soddy, 1877-1956
Downloaded from http://rsbm.royalsocietypublishing.org/ on July 27, 2018 Frederick Soddy, 1877-1956 Alexander Fleck Biogr. Mems Fell. R. Soc. 1957 3, 203-216, published 1 November 1957 Email alerting service Receive free email alerts when new articles cite this article - sign up in the box at the top right-hand corner of the article or click here To subscribe to Biogr. Mems Fell. R. Soc., go to: http://rsbm.royalsocietypublishing.org/subscriptions Downloaded from http://rsbm.royalsocietypublishing.org/ on July 27, 2018 Downloaded from http://rsbm.royalsocietypublishing.org/ on July 27, 2018 FREDERICK SODDY Born Eastbourne 2 September 1877 Died Brighton 26 September 1956 F r e d e r ic k S o d d y was a complex personality and if we are to arrive at any degree of understanding of its aspects, I believe we have to give more than usual place to the background of his early life. It has been my conception of his life that there was really four chapters in it— To 1900—his formative years, From 1900 to 1911—Montreal and the disintegration theory, From 1912 to 1918—Glasgow and isotopes, Onwards from 1919—Oxford and his social outlook. His F o rm a tive Y ears Soddy’s father was a relatively successful corn merchant who was 55 years old when Frederick was born, the seventh and last child. His father retained the inherited family tradition of deep religious feeling, consistently and regu larly shown by public worship. Soddy’s grandfather had aspirations to be a missionary to the South Sea Islanders and had sailed for the Antipodes only to be captured by a French privateer in the year 1798. -
Historical Group NEWSLETTER and SUMMARY of PAPERS
Historical Group NEWSLETTER and SUMMARY OF PAPERS No. 76 Summer 2019 Registered Charity No. 207890 COMMITTEE Chairman: Dr Peter J T Morris Dr Christopher J Cooksey (Watford, 5 Helford Way, Upminster, Essex RM14 1RJ Hertfordshire) [e-mail: [email protected]] Prof Alan T Dronsfield (Swanwick) Secretary: Prof. John W Nicholson Dr John A Hudson (Cockermouth) 52 Buckingham Road, Hampton, Middlesex, Prof Frank James (Royal Institution) TW12 3JG [e-mail: [email protected]] Dr Michael Jewess (Harwell, Oxon) Membership Prof Bill P Griffith Dr Fred Parrett (Bromley, London) Secretary: Department of Chemistry, Imperial College, Prof Henry Rzepa (Imperial College) London, SW7 2AZ [e-mail: [email protected]] Treasurer: Prof Richard Buscall Exeter, Devon [e-mail: [email protected]] Newsletter Dr Anna Simmons Editor Epsom Lodge, La Grande Route de St Jean, St John, Jersey, JE3 4FL [e-mail: [email protected]] Newsletter Dr Gerry P Moss Production: School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, Queen Mary University of London, Mile End Road, London E1 4NS [e-mail: [email protected]] https://www.qmul.ac.uk/sbcs/rschg/ http://www.rsc.org/historical/ 1 Contents From the Editor (Anna Simmons) 2 RSC HISTORICAL GROUP JOINT AUTUMN MEETING 3 William Crookes (1832-1919) 3 RSC HISTORICAL GROUP NEWS 4 Secretary’s Report for 2018 (John Nicholson) 4 MEMBERS’ PUBLICATIONS 4 PUBLICATIONS OF INTEREST 4 NEWS FROM CATALYST (Alan Dronsfield) 5 FORTHCOMING EXHIBITIONS 6 SOCIETY NEWS 6 OTHER NEWS 6 SHORT ESSAYS 7 How Group VIII Elements Posed a Problem for Mendeleev (Bill Griffith) 7 Norium, Mnemonics and Mackay (William. -
From Alchemy to Atomic War: Frederick Soddy's "Technology Assessment" of Atomic Energy, 1900-1915 Author(S): Richard E
From Alchemy to Atomic War: Frederick Soddy's "Technology Assessment" of Atomic Energy, 1900-1915 Author(s): Richard E. Sclove Source: Science, Technology, & Human Values, Vol. 14, No. 2 (Spring, 1989), pp. 163-194 Published by: Sage Publications, Inc. Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/690079 Accessed: 04/11/2009 13:04 Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/info/about/policies/terms.jsp. JSTOR's Terms and Conditions of Use provides, in part, that unless you have obtained prior permission, you may not download an entire issue of a journal or multiple copies of articles, and you may use content in the JSTOR archive only for your personal, non-commercial use. Please contact the publisher regarding any further use of this work. Publisher contact information may be obtained at http://www.jstor.org/action/showPublisher?publisherCode=sage. Each copy of any part of a JSTOR transmission must contain the same copyright notice that appears on the screen or printed page of such transmission. JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship. For more information about JSTOR, please contact [email protected]. Sage Publications, Inc. is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Science, Technology, & Human Values. http://www.jstor.org From Alchemy to Atomic War: Frederick Soddy's "Technology Assessment" of Atomic Energy, 1900-1915 Richard E.