Irving Langmuir
The American chemist Irving Langmuir, b. Jan. 31, 1881, d. Aug.
16, 1957, excelled in both theoretical contributions and their
practical applications in many fields of science. He conducted
his monumental research (1909-50) at the General Electric Company
in Schenectady, N.Y. Langmuir's studies of chemical reactions at
high temperature and low pressure led to the gas-filled tungsten
lamp, which prolongs the life of the filament. His research
dealing with the thermal effect on gases shed light on the
properties of atomic hydrogen and resulted in the manufacture of
the atomic hydrogen torch used for welding. In atomic structure
he contributed to the modern theory of electronic bonding. His
work on thermionic emission resulted in the construction of many
electron tubes. For his pioneer work in the fields of catalysis
and adsorption Langmuir was awarded the 1932 Nobel Prize for
chemistry.