PEOPLE

Yale's Onsager wins Chemistry Nobel Prize j for theoretical work ι

CONFERENCE. Dr. Lars Onsager answers questions at a press conference hastily called shortly after he learned of winning the 1968 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Award honors physical chemist

for pre-World War II discovery

of reciprocal relations

basic to thermodynamics

of irreversible processes

"All chem. classes canceled," read the note on the blackboard inside the door of the armorylike Sterling Chemistry Laboratory on "the hill" at Yale. The reason, as everyone knew, was Prof. Lars Onsager's Nobel Prize (C&EN, Nov. 4, page 2 0 ) . T h e 64-year-old chemist had returned to New Haven after learning of the award in Cali­fornia from a friend who heard it on the radio.

Wait ing for Dr. Onsager was a jubi­lant department , whose head, Dr. Kenneth B. Wiberg, told the press, "Nothing could have pleased us more." The awardee himself appeared poised in front of cameras and answered questions in a soft, deliberate voice with understated wit. Later inter­views displayed the scientist's com­mand of Swedish and Norwegian as well as English (he also speaks Ger­man and F r e n c h ) , and, in spite of his modest expression, showed the depth of his insight in physical and chemi­cal theory.

As his colleagues state, Dr. On­sager's work shows a sensitivity to basic problems, and superb power in reaching solutions. The Nobel cita­tion specifically commends the chem­ist for "the discovery of the reciprocal relations bearing his name which are fundamental for the thermodynamics of irreversible processes." This discov­ery was published in 1931, although not fully recognized until after World W a r II . However, the cited work merely presaged more than three dec­ades of exploration in many areas of physical chemistry: electrolytes, di­

electric liquids, isotope separation, disordered solids, superfluidity, elec­tron distribution in metals, and the be­havior of ice as a semiconductor.

In all these areas, Dr. Onsager's research is characterized by strong intuition—that of a man, as Peter J. W. Debye said, who "knows the truth be­fore he has the proof"—and an urge to expand context to get the broadest possible solution. Backing up this urge is an arsenal of abilities which includes great concentration power, a legendary memory, a refined knowl­edge of mathematics, and a running acquaintance with experiment. In the words of Dr. Philip A. Lyons, past chemistry depar tment chairman at Yale, "He combines great sophistica­tion with the eye of an engineer. When he is finished, there's some­thing for people to do."

The best-known example of this ap­proach is his prize-winning work, the Onsager reciprocal relations in ther­modynamics. These enable t reatment of systems away from equilibrium (although not too far away, Dr. On­sager points out) and in a steady state. An example is the diffusion of different particles in solution as heat flows through the system.

A general statement for this discov­ery is that cross coefficients in linear equations that describe the various fluxes in simultaneous irreversible processes, such as heat conduction, electrical conduction, and diffusion, are simply and predictably related to each other. Dr. Onsager says these relations were in some sense the solu­tion to a problem of 80 years standing and that he had suspected the answer for some years.

Leading up to this solution were years of study and then emigration to the U.S. The laureate's research pa th began with theoretical work while still an undergraduate in chemical engi­neering at the Norwegian Institute of Technology in Trondheim, Norway. H e picked engineering as a practical

major after growing up with a general interest in science.

In 1925, the young engineering graduate left Norway for nearly two years of study under the great Peter Debye at the Federal Institute of Technology, in Zurich, Switzerland. H e was able to extend the work of Debye and Hiickel on electrolytes and, later, on dielectric liquids.

In 1928, the student crossed the ocean to Johns Hopkins University to become an associate in chemistry. At the end of the term, Dr. Charles A. Kraus, the distinguished physical chemist and later Priestley Medalist, invited him to Brown University, where he stayed until going to Yale as a Sterling and Gibbs fellow in 1933.

The chemist stayed at Yale for his entire career, rising to J. Willard Gibbs Professor of Theoretical Chemistry in 1945. His array of major honors be­gan in 1953 with the Rumford Medal from the American Academy of Sci­ences. Since then he has received the Lorentz Medal from the Royal Neth­erlands Academy of Sciences, the Lewis Medal from the ACS California Section, the Kirkwood Medal from the New Haven Section, the Gibbs Medal from the Chicago Section, the Rich­ards Medal from the Northeastern Section, the ACS Debye Award, and the Belfer Award from Yeshiva Uni­versity. H e holds honorary degrees from Harvard, Chicago, Rensselaer, Brown, Aachen, and his alma mater.

Besides research, his major preoc­cupation, Dr. Onsager finds the best relaxation at his 80-acre farm in San­born ton, N .H. He celebrated his 35th wedding anniversary this year with his Austrian wife, Margarethe, three sons, and one daughter.

Asked by the press if the supreme honor from Stockholm made him feel free to retire, the Nobel Laureate noted the prize was designed for young men who had proven their worth and should open to them a pro­ductive life.

72 C&EN NOV. 11, 1968

ACS Philadelphia Section Award to Bloch Dr. B. Peter Block (right) receives the ACS Philadelphia Section Award for creative invention from Dr. Daniel Swern, section chairman. Dr. Murray Hauptschein (center), is director of organic research department at Pennsalt and was the first winner of the award. Dr. Block was cited for work on synthesis of high-molecular-weight inorganic polymers by polymerization of inorganic coordination compounds.

INDUSTRY

A. Eric Andersen named chief en­gineer of Arco Chemical at Phila­delphia.

Robert W. Bohny joins Quaker Oats' chemicals division as eastern district sales manager, New York City.

Russel A. Bowman named manager of plastics and resins sales for Hooker Chemical's industrial chemicals di­vision, Niagara Falls, N.Y.

Thurman E. Brown named manager of chlor-alkali products at PPG Indus­tries' industrial chemical division, Pittsburgh. Irvin C. Klimas named manager of organic chemicals; Robert M. Allen, of inorganic chemicals; and James F. Compton, of pigments.

Mohamed H. Chanem named research engineer in chemical products devel­opment department of J. P. Stevens & Co. R&D division.

Barbara Lee Christy appointed a chemist at Parke, Davis & Co., Ann Arbor.

Mike Cieraszynski appointed opera­tions supervisor in petrochemical area

at Ashland Oil & Refining, Catletts-burg, Ky.

Dr. Thomas G. Coker joins inorganic research department of Wyandotte Chemicals, Wyandotte, Mich., as re­search staff member.

Thomas D. Coughlen joins technical division of Humble Oil & Refining, Bay town, Tex., as an engineer.

Leland S. Covery joins M. W. Kellogg Co. as sales representative.

Dr. H. M. Dess joins National Lead Co. as assistant technical director, corporate R&D labs, Hightstown, N.J.

K. L. Diem named manager of mer­chandising for Red Barn Chemicals, Inc., Tulsa.

Dr. Frank A. Dolbeare joins Eli Lilly & Co., Indianapolis, as senior biochem­ist on anti-inflammatory research.

H. Manton Dorrell named commercial and residential land manager for Friendswood Development Co/s King-wood project, Houston.

G. R. Edwards appointed sales repre­sentative for Kellogg International.

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NOV. 11, 1968 C&EN 73

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FUEL GASIFICATION ADVANCES IN CHEMISTRY SERIES No, 69

A symposium sponsored by the ACS Division of Fuel Chemistry, chaired by Frank C. Schora, Jr. Renewed interest in converting solid fuels to high B.t.u. gas is stimulated by several factors—the prospect of waning natural gas supplies and the threat of nuclear fuels.

Sixteen papers report on • Coal pretreatment in fluidized bed • Hydrogasification studies • Slagging pressure gasifier • Catalytic gasification of shale oil • BCR two-stage super-pressure gasifier • C02 acceptor gasification process

and other studies

276 pages with index cloth (1967) $9.00 ($10.50 after Dec. 31) Postpaid in U.S. and Canada; plus 20 cents elswhere.

Set of L.C. cards free with library orders.

Order from SPECIAL ISSUES SALES DEPT. D AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY 1155 SIXTEENTH ST., N.W. WASHINGTON, D.C. 20036

Dr. Andrew Frank joins American Cyanamid, Bound Brook, as senior process engineer. Also joining the plant staff are Annmarie Sabb, Ruth-ann Jamke, Anthony Sawyer, Robert Pleban, Andrew Boccone, Leland Orr, Frank Goletz, Joanne Sullivan, David McGarrity, Arthur Scheppers, and Michael Ward.

C. Austin Gagney named executive v.p. of McKesson Chemical Co., New York City.

Theodore H. Glenn promoted to buyer in corporate purchasing department of Rohm and Haas, Philadelphia. Barton C. Gumpert transfers to wood products section of film department; Michael Storti named assistant market­ing manager of fibers division. Karl-heinz Kronberger and Andrea F. Dukich join the Bristol lab. George H. Landers, Jr., named staff assistant to protection superintendent at Bristol.

Roland Gohlke appointed director of research at Finnigan Instruments Corp., Palo Alto, Calif.

Dr. Peter Grey promoted to senior re­search chemist at Paulsboro, N.J., lab of Mobil Research & Development Corp. Harry R. Weber promoted to supervisor of engine test lab.

Education series staff Dr. James L. Hall and Chester Placek will staff the Washington, D . C , office of the newly formed science teaching systems division of W. A. Benjamin,

Hall Placek Inc. Malcolm C. Johnson, Jr., v.p., heads the office and will continue to work out of New York City. This past summer Dr. Hall and Mr. Placek di­rected a workshop of writing-editing biologists at Woods Hole, Mass., to produce the Science of Life Series, a multivolume paperback high school curriculum. Dr. Hall was an associate editor of C&EN and Mr. Placek the C&EN assistant managing editor until last April, when they left to join W. A. Benjamin, Inc. They are now direct­ing development of another paperback series for high schools, the Independ­ent Study Program in Chemistry.

74 C&EN NOV. 11, 1968

BftiNKMANN

ΓΎ* J

EDUCATION

Dr. Duane Heyman joins faculty of Whitman College, Walla Walla, Wash., as assistant professor of chem­istry.

Leonard A. Weiss, who is chairman of the science department of the Cleveland Hill Schools in Cheek-towaga, N.Y., receives the 1968 Dis­tinguished Science Teacher Award of the ACS Western New York Section. The award is made annually to a science teacher who has demonstrated extraordinary dedication and achieve­ment in secondary school education.

Dr. Hans Georg Zachau, director of Institute for Physiological Chemistry in Munich, receives the Richard Kuhn medal of Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker. He was cited for his work in investigation of the structure and effectiveness of transfer ribonucleic acids. The Adolf von Baeyer medal was presented to Dr. Otto Scherer, department director of Farbwerke Hoechst in Frankfurt/M-Hoechst, in recognition of his work on the chem­istry of organic fluorine compounds.

Dr. Joseph T. Zung joins University of Missouri, Rolla, faculty as professor of chemistry and senior investigator in the graduate center for cloud physics research.

New editors

Joan E. Zimmerman has joined the staff of Chemistry magazine, Wash­ington, D.C., as an editorial assistant.

Zimmerman Russell

She was formerly a chemist in basic research in peptide chemistry at American Cyanamid's Lederle Labs at Pearl River, N.Y. She took a B.S. in chemistry at Fairleigh Dickinson University in 1959 and has published several papers in J ACS. She has one patent to her credit.

H. Eileen Russell has also joined the staff of Chemistry as an editorial as­sistant. For the past six years she has taught chemistry at Roosevelt High School in Yonkers. She is a 1961 graduate of Marymount Col­lege and in 1965 received an M.S. at Fordham.

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"•••primarily to present a strong image of what our company stands for." "•••to back up our recruitment program for specific job openings." "•••to tell prospective employees about the benefits and opportunities offered by our company." " · · · it has always pulled well for us in the past." These are just a few of the reasons. There are many more. "Career Opportunities" is a completely sep­arate annual issue of CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING NEWS. Features include : • Original staff-written articles on career op­

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In this age of corporate giants, mergers and acquisitions, a strong corporate personality is essential in recruiting top flight manage­ment and technical personnel. What does your company do? What do you make? Do you have any R&D? Are you growing, and how? Where are your plants? What are your benefits ? There is only one place that a company can tell its complete corporate story to the entire chemical process industries· · *in "Career Op­portunities"· ·-to over 140,000 chemists and chemical engineers in all titles and functions. This year C&EN's 66 advertisers received thousands of letterhead requests and an addi­tional 25,000 coupon requests generated by the Directory Section. Here's the perfect way to kick off your 1969 recruiting campaign and back-stop your help

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