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{{Infobox Scientist|name = Irving Langmuir|box_width =|image = Langmuir-sitting.jpg|image_width =|caption = Irving Langmuir at home (c. 1900)|birth_date = |birth_place =
Brooklyn, New York|residence =|citizenship =|nationality = |ethnicity =|field = [Chemistry
[University of Göttingen|doctoral_students =|known_for =|author_abbrev_bot =|author_abbrev_zoo =|prizes = [Nobel Prize/Chemistry, [1881 in
Brooklyn, New York -
August 16, 1957 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts) was an United States chemistry and physics. His most noted publication was the famous 1919 article "The Arrangement of Electrons in Atoms and Molecules" in which, building on
Gilbert N. Lewis's
cubical atom theory and Walther Kossel's chemical bonding theory, he outlined his "concentric theory of atomic structure".Langmuir, I. (1919). " The Arrangement of Electrons in Atoms and Molecules",
Journal of the American Chemical Society. Vol. 41, No. 6, 861. While at
General Electric, from 1909-1950, Langmuir advanced several basic fields of
physics and chemistry, invented the gas-filled
incandescent lamp, the hydrogen welding technique, and was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize/Chemistry for his work in
surface chemistry. He was the first industrial chemist to become a Nobel laureate. The
Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research near Socorro, New Mexico was named in his honor as was the American Chemical Society journal for Surface Science, called
Langmuir (journal).
Life
Irving Langmuir was born in
Brooklyn,
New York on January 31, 1881. He was the third child of four of Charles Langmuir and Sadie, née Comings. During his childhood, Langmuir's parents encouraged him to carefully observe nature and to keep a detailed record of his various observations. When Irving was eleven, it was discovered that he had poor eyesight. When this problem was corrected, details that had previously eluded him were revealed. Because of this, his interest in nature and the various complications of nature was heightened.
During his childhood, Langmuir was greatly influenced by his older brother, Arthur Langmuir. Arthur was a research chemist who encouraged Irving to be curious about nature and how things work. Arthur helped Irving set up his first chemistry lab in the corner of his bedroom, and he was content to answer the myriad of questions that Irving would pose. Langmuir's hobbies included mountaineering, skiing, piloting his own plane, and classical music. In addition to his professional interest in the politics of atomic energy, he was deeply concerned about wilderness conservation.
Education
Langmuir attended his early education at various schools and institutes in America and Paris (1892-1895). He graduated with a B.S. in metallurgical engineering from the
Columbia University Columbia University School of Mines (the first mining and metallury school in the U.S., established,1864 and presently known as Henry Krumb School of Mines) in 1903. He earned his Ph.D. degree in 1906 under Nobel laureate Walther Nernst in
Göttingen, for research done using the "
Nernst glower", an electric lamp invented by Nernst. His doctoral thesis was entitled “On the Partial Recombination of Dissolved Gases During Cooling.” He later did postgraduate work in chemistry. Langmuir then taught at Stevens Institute of Technology in Hoboken, New Jersey, until 1909, when he began working at the General Electric research laboratory (Schenectady, New York). In 1912, he married
Marion Mersereau.
Scientific work
His initial contributions to science came from his study of light bulbs (a continuation of his Ph.D. work). His first major development was the invention of the
diffusion pump, which ultimately led to the invention of the high-vacuum tube. A year later, he and colleague
Lewi Tonks discovered that the lifetime of a
tungsten filament was greatly lengthened by filling the bulb with an
inert gas, such as argon. He also discovered that twisting the filament into a tight coil improved its efficiency. These were important developments in the history of the incandescent light bulb.As he continued to study filaments in vacuum and different gas environments, he began to study the emission of charged particles from hot filaments (
thermionic emission). He was one of the first scientists to work with Plasma (physics)s and was the first to call these ionized gases by that name, because they reminded him of
blood plasma. What is Plasma? - Coalition for Plasma Science
He introduced the concept of Plasma (physics)#Temperatures and in 1924 invented the diagnostic method for measuring both temperature and Plasma (physics)#Densities with an electrostatic probe, now called a Langmuir probe and commonly used in plasma physics. The current of a biased probe tip is measured as a function of bias voltage to determine the local plasma temperature and density. He also discovered atomic hydrogen, which he put to use by inventing the atomic hydrogen welding process; the first plasma weld ever made. Plasma welding has since been developed into
gas tungsten arc welding.
Later years
Following
World War I Langmuir contributed to atomic theory and the understanding of atomic structure by defining the modern concept of
valence shells and
isotopes.
He joined Katharine B. Blodgett to study thin films and surface absorption. They introduced the concept of a
monolayer (a layer of material one molecule thick) and the two-dimensional physics which describe such a surface. In 1932 he received the
Nobel Prize/Chemistry "for his discoveries and investigations in surface chemistry.", August 28, 1950In 1938, Langmuir's scientific interests began to turn to
atmospheric science and meteorology. One of his first ventures, although tangentially related, was a refutation the claim of entomologist Charles H. T. Townsend that the
deer botfly flew at speeds in excess of 800 miles per hour. Langmuir estimated the fly's true speed at 25 miles per hour.
During World War II, Langmuir worked on improving naval sonar for submarine detection, and later to develop protective smoke screens and methods for
deicing aircraft wings. This research led him to theorize that the introduction of
dry ice and iodide into a sufficiently moist cloud of low temperature could induce precipitation (cloud seeding); though in frequent practice, particularly in Australia and the People's Republic of China, the efficiency of this technique remains controversial today.
In 1953 Langmuir coined the term "
pathological science", describing research conducted with accordance to the scientific method, but tainted by unconscious bias or subjective effects. This is in contrast to pseudoscience, which has no pretense of following the scientific method. In his original speech, he presented Extra-sensory perception and flying saucers as examples of pathological science; since then, the label has been applied to polywater and cold fusion.
After a short illness, he died of a heart attack in 1957. His obituary ran on the front page of the New York Times.
The Irving Langmuir House, in Schenectady, was declared a
National Historic Landmark in 1976.
References
Patents
- Langmuir, , "Incandescent Electric Lamp"
- Langmuir, , "Electron-discharge apparatus and method of operating the same"
- Langmuir, , "Method of and apparatus for controlling x-ray tubes"
External links
- Langmuir Journal ACS Chemistry Journal of Surfaces and Colloids
- " Langmuir, Irving" Infoplease.com.
- " Irving Langmuir's Ball Lightning Tube". Ball Lightning Page. Science Hobbyist.
- " Irving Langmuir shows Whitney one of his inventions, the Pliotron tube. ca. 1920.". Willis Rodney whitney: the "Father of basic research in industry".
- "Pathological Science" - noted lecture of 18 December 1953 at GE Labs
Irving Langmuir - Biography
Biography. Irving Langmuir was born in Brooklyn, New York, on January 31, 1881, as the third of four sons of Charles Langmuir and Sadie, neé Comings.
Chemistry 1932
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Irving Langmuir - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Irving Langmuir (January 31, 1881 in Brooklyn, New York – August 16, 1957 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts) was an American chemist and physicist. His most noted publication was the ...
Irving Langmuir House - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Irving Langmuir House was a home of physicist-chemist Irving Langmuir, winner of the 1932 Nobel Prize during his research career with General Electric.
Irving Langmuir
Langmuir Laboratory is named in honor of a man whose scientific and technical activities spanned many fields. his first degree was that of Metallurgical Engineer, awarded by the ...
Langmuir
Irving Langmuir b. January 31, 1881, Brooklyn, New York, U.S.A. d. August 16, 1957, Woods Hole, Massachusetts, U.S.A.
IRVING LANGMUIR
IRVING LANGMUIR Irving Langmuir would never have thought to ask the question "when will I ever use this ?". His scientific inquiries sprang from a curiosity that saw a purpose in ...
Irving Langmuir - (The Plasma Universe Wikipedia-like Encyclopedia)
Irving Langmuir (January 31, 1881 in Brooklyn, New York - August 16, 1957 in Woods Hole, Massachusetts) was an American chemist and physicist. His most noted publication was the ...
Langmuir's talk on Pathological Science
Langmuir's talk on Pathological Science (December 18, 1953) Background. A recent book, Voodoo Science by Robert Parks (Oxford, 2000) led us to the realization that the most seminal ...
Irving Langmuir - definition of Irving Langmuir by the Free Online ...
Noun: 1. Irving Langmuir - United States chemist who studied surface chemistry and developed the gas-filled tungsten lamp and worked on high temperature electrical discharges (1881 ...