Arthur Wilson Adamson (August 15, 1919 – July 22, 2003) was an American chemist who is considered a pioneer in inorganic

photochemistry Photochemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the chemical effects of light. Generally, this term is used to describe a chemical reaction caused by absorption of ultraviolet (wavelength from 100 to 400 Nanometre, nm), visible ligh ...

. His research made significant contributions to the understanding of physical adsorption and

contact angle The contact angle (symbol ) is the angle between a liquid surface and a solid surface where they meet. More specifically, it is the angle between the surface tangent on the liquid–vapor interface and the tangent on the solid–liquid interfac ...

phenomena, and the thermodynamics of surfaces and irreversible adsorption.

Early life

Born to American missionaries in

Shanghai Shanghai, Shanghainese: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: is a direct-administered municipality and the most populous urban area in China. The city is located on the Chinese shoreline on the southern estuary of the Yangtze River, with the ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

, he received his B.S. in chemistry at the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after the Anglo-Irish philosopher George Berkele ...

in 1940 and his Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the

University of Chicago The University of Chicago (UChicago, Chicago, or UChi) is a Private university, private research university in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Its main campus is in the Hyde Park, Chicago, Hyde Park neighborhood on Chicago's South Side, Chic ...

in 1944.

Career

After two years as a research associate for the

Manhattan Project The Manhattan Project was a research and development program undertaken during World War II to produce the first nuclear weapons. It was led by the United States in collaboration with the United Kingdom and Canada. From 1942 to 1946, the ...

Oak Ridge, Tennessee Oak Ridge is a city in Anderson County, Tennessee, Anderson and Roane County, Tennessee, Roane counties in the East Tennessee, eastern part of the U.S. state of Tennessee, about west of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, Knoxville. Oak Ridge's po ...

, he began a career at the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

that extended through his appointment as professor emeritus in 1989. He chaired the USC Department of Chemistry from 1972 to 1975.

Awards

*1967

Richard C. Tolman Richard Chace Tolman (March 4, 1881 – September 5, 1948) was an American mathematical physicist and physical chemist who made many contributions to statistical mechanics and theoretical cosmology. He was a professor at the California Ins ...

Medal *1979

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

(ACS) Kendall Award in Surface or Colloid Chemistry *1982 ACS Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Inorganic Chemistry, *1984 ACS Award in Chemical Education (now renamed the George C. Pimentel Award in Chemical Education) *1991 USC Faculty Lifetime Achievement Award *1994

American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal The American Institute of Chemists Gold Medal is the highest award of the American Institute of Chemists and has been awarded since 1926. It is presented annually to a person who has most encouraged the science of chemistry or the profession of ...

*1999 Monie A. Ferst Award In 1992, the ACS established the Arthur W. Adamson Award for Distinguished Service in the Advancement of Surface Chemistry. He was founding editor of '' Langmuir'', the ACS Journal of Surfaces and Colloids, and he was chairman of the ACS Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry.

Bibliography

Books authored include: *''Concepts of Inorganic Photochemistry'', Wiley & Sons Canada, Limited, John, *''Physical Chemistry of Surfaces'', Wiley & Sons, Incorporated, John, *''A Textbook of Physical Chemistry'', Cengage Learning, *''Understanding Physical Chemistry'', Stationery Office, The,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Adamson, Arthur W. 1919 births 2003 deaths 20th-century American chemists Manhattan Project people UC Berkeley College of Letters and Science alumni University of Chicago alumni University of Southern California people American expatriates in China