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Atomic Pioneers, Book 2, from the Mid-19Th to the Early 20Th Century

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Atomic Pioneers, Book 2, from the Mid-19Th to the Early 20Th Century DOCUMENT RESUME ED 058 029 SE 012 693 AUTHOR Hiebert, Ray; Hiebert, Roselyn TITLE Atomic Pioneers, Book 2, From the Mid-19th to the Early 20th Century. A World of the Atom Series Booklet. INSTITUTION Atomic Energy Commission, Oak Ridge, Tenn. Div. of Technical Information. PUB DATE 71 NOTE 100p. AVAILABLE FROMUSAEC, P. O. Box 62, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37830 (Free) EDRS PRICE MF-$0.65 HC-$3.29 DESCRIPTORS *Biographies; *Nuclear Physics; *Physics; Researchers; *Science History; *Scientists IDENTIFIERS Atomic Energy Commission ABSTRACT This booklet is concerned with the last half of the 19th and the beginning of the 2nth century when a great surge of knowledge vital to atomic science took place, as illustrated by work by Faraday, Mendeleev, Roentgen, Becquerel and the Curies. Each succeeding discovery brought atomic science closer to the great breakthrough that marked the close of classical physics: Max Planck's quantum theory. work by Einstein, Rutherford, and Fahn propelled atomic science toward the unleashing of nuclear energy. The lives and work of 26 individuals who contributed to the explosion of knowledge in atomic science are described.(Author/TS) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATION & WELFARE OrrICE OF EDUCATILN THIS DOCUMENT HAS BEEN r.r.PRO DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED v; OM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIG- INATING IT. POINTS OF VIEW OR OPIN- IONS STATED DO NOT NECESSARILY REPRESENT OFFICIAL OFFICE OF EDU- CATION POSITION OR POLICY 'Ar* hog, ATOMIC PIONEERS Book 2 From the Mic1-1(h to the Early 20th Century a. nd A WORLD OF THE ATOM SERIES BOOKLET swimmemlisnee The Authors Mrs. Roselyn Hiebert received her _B.A. degree floin the University of California. She and her husband, Dr. Ray Hiebert, have written the following boOks for children: Franklin Delano Roosevelt: President JO,- the People, 1968; Thomas Edison: American Inventor, 1969: and The Stock Market Crash of' 1929, 1970, Franklin Watts, Inc. Dr. Ray Hiebert received his B.A. degree from Stanford University, his MS. degree from Columbia University, and his M.A. and Ph.D. degrees from the University of Maryland. He is Professor and Head of the Journalism Department at the University of Maryland. Dr. Hiebert is editor of Books in Human Development, Agency for International Development,1965, The PressinWashington, Dodd, Mead and Company,1966, and a series of textbooks on government and communications for John Wiley and Sons, Inc. He is the author of a biography, Courtier to the Crowd, Iowa State University Press, 1966. The Cover Left to right, top row, Michael Faraday, Joseph Henry, and Dmitri Mendeleev; middle row, Stanislao Cannizzaro, Max Planck, and Lord Rayleigh; bottom row, Marie Curie, Pieter Zeeman, and Frederick Soddy. 2 A WORLD OF THE ATOM SERIES BOOKLET Foreword This booklet is one in a series of basic educational book- lets that explains many:pacts of nuclear science including its bistoiy and applications. It is the second of a group of Pier biographical booklets that will describe the contributions atomic science made by 100 individuals over a 2550-year time span. This volume covers the period from the middle of the 19th century to the early 20tb century. Edward J. Brunenkant, Director Division of Technical Information PREFACE Book 1 of "Atomic Pioneers" traced the development of atomic science fromthe scientists of ancient Greece iike Pythagoras and Anaxagoras to the chemists and physicists of the 19th century like John Daltonand Sir Humphry Davy. book is concerned with the last half of the 19th and the beginning ofthe 20th century when a great surge of knowledge vital to atomic scienee took place. In rapidsucces- sion came such significant workas Michael Faraday's discoveries about electromagnetism, the development ofa systematic table of elements by Dmitri Mendekev, and the dis- covery of X rays by Wilhelm Roentgen and radioactivity by Henri Becquerel and Pierre and Marie Curie. ' Each succeeding discovery brought atomic science closer to the great breakthroughthat marked the close of classical physics.This was Max Planck's quantum theory, which laid the foundations for modern physics. Othergreat work, such as Albert Einstein'stheory of relativity, Ernest Rutherford's theory of the nuclear atom, and Otto Hahn's discovery of fission of the uranium atom, wouldpropel atomic science along toward the unleashing of nuclear energy. This book givesa brief account of the lives and work of 26men and women who contributed to this explosion of knowledge. 4 CONTENTS William Prout1785-1850 2 Michael Faraday1791-1867 = 4 Eilhardt Mitscherlich1794-1863 10 Joseph Henry1797-1878 12 Thomas Graham 1805-1869 15 Stanislao Cannizzaro1826-1910 - 19 James Clerk Maxwell1831-1879 . - 22 Dmitri 1. Mendekev 1834-1907 24 Joseph Norman Lockyer 1836-1920 - 30 Lord Rayleigh, 3rd Baron (John William Strutt)1842-1919 . 33 Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen1845-1923 35 Antoine Henri Becquerel1852-1908 41 Hendrik A. Lorentz1853-1928 44 J. J. Thomson 1856-1940 46 Max Planck1858-1947 51 Svante A. Arrhenius1859-1927 5,1 Pierre Curie1859-1906 56 Marie Curie1867-1934 60 Pieter Zeeman 1865-1943 65 Theodore W. Richards1868-1928 66 C. T. R. Wilson 1869-1959 68 Ernest Rutherford1871-1937 70 Francis W. Aston 1877-1945 76 Frederick Soddy 1877-1956 78 Lise Meitner1878-1969 . 81 Otto Hahn 1879-1968 84 Reading List 87 Alphabetical List of Names 92 United States Atomic Energy Commission Division of Technical Information Library of Congress Catalog Card Number: 70-606304 1971- ATOMIC PIONEERS Book 2 From the Mid-i9th to the Early 20th Century by Ray and Roselyn Hiebert WILLIAM PROUT William Prout, English chemist and physi- ologist, was born in Horton, Gloucestershire, on January 15, 1785, and died in London on April 9, 1850. Biographical Details William Prout was a practicing physician in London for most of his life. He was also interestedinorganic chemistry* and the process of nutrition. He was the author of two anonymous papers in the Annals of Science, which pro- posedhisfamous hypothesisconcerning atomic weights. Scientific Achievements Prout's interest in organic chemistry led to a discovery that stunned physicians of the *Organic chemistry is a branch of chemistry dealing with compounds of, carbon, 2 time. He found that the acid secreted by the stomachishydrochloric acid,a powerful substance that in more concentrated form can burn flesh or corrode metal. He also pioneered in nutrition studies and was the first man to divide food into groups that we still usecarbohydrates, fats, and proteins. But his most noteworthy achievement was announced anonymously and was not n the field of organic chemistry at all. At a time when few atomic weights were known, he developed the hypothesis thatallatomic weights were integral (whole number) mul- tiples of the atomic weight of hydrogen, which is the lightest element. Thus if hydro- gen were given the number 1, then oxygen would be 16 and sodium 23. Contribution to Atomic Science Prout'shypothesis thatthe hydrogen atom was the building block of the other elements was a great stimulus for others to measure atomic weights more accurately. Though his theory of integral atomic weights seemed wrong and was ignored for some time, work on isotopes a century later by Frederick Soddy and Francis Aston would prove the hypothesis to have real importance. MICHAEL FARADAY Michael Faraday, English physicist and chemist, left the world the richest heritage of scientific knowledge since Isaac Newton. His significant discoveries include the principle of electromagnetic induction, the field concept that describes the way objects interact, and the two basic laws of electrolysis. He was born in Newington, Surrey, on September 22, 1791, and diedin Hampton Court near London on August 25, 1867. Biographical Details Faraday was one of ten children ofa poverty-strickenblacksmith and hadlittle formal education. At 14 hewas apprenticed to a bookbinder who allowed the boy to read books and attend scientific lectures. Duringa lecture given by Sir Humphry Davy, Faraday took notes, which he sent to the scientist. Because of the excellence of aiese notes, he later became Davy's assistant at the Royal institution. From then on Faraday developed rapidly as a scientist and was awarded many honors. (In 1825 he became Director of the Royal Institution and finally professor of chemistry for life in 1833.) However, he belongedto a religious group, now extinct, which didn't approve of worldly rewards. Because of this he declined knighthood and the presidency of the Royal Society of which he wasa member. His religious convictions also made him refuse to prepare poison gas for Britain's use in the Crimean War. 4 _ _.:---- In addition to beinga brilliant scientist, Faraday was also a gifted lecturer.fle partic- ularly enjoyed givinga special series of scien- tific lectures for childrenevery year at Christ- mas. Scientific Achievements Faraday was one of thegreatest experi- mental geniuses in the physicalsciences. In 1822, impressed by the discoverythat an electric current produceda magnetic field, he determined thatitwas possibleto make magnetismproduceelectricity.Helater showedthata movable wire carryingan electric current willrotate around a fixed magnet. Faraday had convertedelectricity and magnetic forces intomechanical energy, and from this experimentcame the principle of the electric motor. In .1823 he devised methodsto liquefy gases. He also produced below-zerotempera- tures on the Fahrenheit scale in thelabora- tory for the first time. In 1825 he discovered benzene, a compound importantfor future work
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