Charles L. Christ
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Charles Louis Christ (March 12, 1916 – June 29, 1980) was an American
scientist A scientist is a person who Scientific method, researches to advance knowledge in an Branches of science, area of the natural sciences. In classical antiquity, there was no real ancient analog of a modern scientist. Instead, philosophers engag ...
,
geochemist Geochemistry is the science that uses the tools and principles of chemistry to explain the mechanisms behind major geological systems such as the Earth's crust and its oceans. The realm of geochemistry extends beyond the Earth, encompassing the e ...
and
mineralogist Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...
.


Education

He received his Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees from the
Johns Hopkins University The Johns Hopkins University (often abbreviated as Johns Hopkins, Hopkins, or JHU) is a private university, private research university in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. Founded in 1876 based on the European research institution model, J ...
, completing his Ph.D. in 1940.


Career

After receiving his degree, he worked for the
General Electric Company The General Electric Company (GEC) was a major British industrial conglomerate involved in consumer and Arms industry, defence electronics, communications, and engineering. It was originally founded in 1886 as G. Binswanger and Company as an e ...
as a research chemist in
Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pittsfield is the most populous city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Pittsfi ...
. In September, 1941 he returned to academia as an instructor at
Wesleyan University Wesleyan University ( ) is a Private university, private liberal arts college, liberal arts university in Middletown, Connecticut, United States. It was founded in 1831 as a Men's colleges in the United States, men's college under the Methodi ...
. From 1942 to 1945 he returned to
Hopkins Hopkins is an English and Welsh patronymic surname derived from the personal name Hopkin and the genitive ending -''s''. Hopkin is itself a pet form of the name Hobb, a shortening of Robert (with alteration of the initial consonant). Notable peop ...
as an instructor and associate director of their C.Y. War Research Laboratory. The Laboratory was responsible for developing a super-conducting
bolometer A bolometer is a device for measuring radiant heat by means of a material having a temperature-dependent electrical resistance. It was invented in 1878 by the American astronomer Samuel Pierpont Langley. Principle of operation A bolometer ...
for the detection of infrared radiation. From 1946 to 1949 he was group leader for X-ray crystallography at the
American Cyanamid American Cyanamid Company was an American manufacturing conglomerate. It began as a fertilizer company and added many additional lines of business before merging with American Home Products in 1994. The combined company sold off most of its di ...
Company in
Stamford, Connecticut Stamford () is a city in Fairfield County, Connecticut, United States, outside of New York City. It is the sixth-most populous city in New England. Stamford is also the largest city in the Western Connecticut Planning Region, Connecticut, Weste ...
. He was an employee of the
U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...
from October, 1949 until his retirement in 1979. His research focused on minerals containing
uranium Uranium is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol U and atomic number 92. It is a silvery-grey metal in the actinide series of the periodic table. A uranium atom has 92 protons and 92 electrons, of which 6 are valence electrons. Ura ...
,
vanadium Vanadium is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol V and atomic number 23. It is a hard, silvery-grey, malleable transition metal. The elemental metal is rarely found in nature, but once isolated artificially, the formation of an ...
, and various rare elements. He was especially interested in hydrated
borate A borate is any of a range of boron oxyanions, anions containing boron and oxygen, such as orthoborate , metaborate , or tetraborate ; or any salt of such anions, such as sodium metaborate, and borax . The name also refers to esters of su ...
minerals because of the crystal-chemical challenge they present. He was a professorial lecturer at the
George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...
in
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
, from 1956 to 1965. In 1960, he published a set of rules governing the formation of complex borate polyanions that became known as ''Christ's Rules.'' In 1965, he moved from
Washington, D.C. Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly known as Washington or D.C., is the capital city and federal district of the United States. The city is on the Potomac River, across from Virginia, and shares land borders with ...
to the
U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...
's offices in
Menlo Park, California Menlo Park ( ) is a city at the eastern edge of San Mateo County, California, San Mateo County in the San Francisco Bay Area of California, United States. It is bordered by San Francisco Bay on the north and east; East Palo Alto, California, Eas ...
. He was a Fellow of the
Mineralogical Society of America The Mineralogical Society of America (MSA) is a scientific membership organization. MSA was founded in 1919 for the advancement of mineralogy, crystallography, geochemistry, and petrology, and promotion of their uses in other sciences, industry, ...
and the
Geological Society of America The Geological Society of America (GSA) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of the geosciences. History The society was founded in Ithaca, New York, in 1888 by Alexander Winchell, John J. Stevenson, Charles H. Hi ...
. He was an associate editor for ''The American Mineralogist'' from 1955 to 1959. In 1972 he was a visiting professor at the
University of Hawaii A university () is an educational institution, institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several Discipline (academia), academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly ...
.


Awards and honors

* 1959 – Rockefeller Public Service Award * In 1977, a new thallium mineral from the
Carlin, Nevada Carlin is a city in Elko County of northeast Nevada, United States, and west of the city of Elko. As of the 2010 census, its population was 2,368, up from 2,161 at the 2000 census. Carlin sits along Interstate 80 at an elevation of appro ...
, gold deposit, was named Christite in his honorRadtke, A.S., F.W. Dickson, J.F. Slack, and K.L. Brown. ''American Mineralogist.'' No. 62, pages 421-425. (1977)


Publications

* Solutions, Minerals, and Equilibria with
Robert Garrels Robert Minard Garrels (August 24, 1916 – March 8, 1988) was an American geochemist. Garrels applied experimental physical chemistry data and techniques to geology and geochemistry problems. The book ''Solutions, Minerals, and Equilibria'' co-aut ...
(1965) (2nd ed. Freeman Cooper Co, 1982 and revised ed 1990) (1990 ed.)
Behavior of Colorado Plateau uranium minerals during oxidation
with
Robert Garrels Robert Minard Garrels (August 24, 1916 – March 8, 1988) was an American geochemist. Garrels applied experimental physical chemistry data and techniques to geology and geochemistry problems. The book ''Solutions, Minerals, and Equilibria'' co-aut ...
.
U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...
Trace Elements Investigations Report No. 588 (1956)
Some observations on rutherfordine
with Joan R. Clark.
U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...
Trace Elements Investigations Report No. 584 (1956)
Mineralogical applications of electron diffraction. I. Theory and techniques
with Malcolm Ross.
U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...
Trace Elements Investigations Report No. 597 (1958) * ''The crystal structure of potassium metavanadate monohydrate, KVO3*H2O'' with Joan R. Clark and H.T. Evans, Jr.
U.S. Geological Survey The United States Geological Survey (USGS), founded as the Geological Survey, is an agency of the U.S. Department of the Interior whose work spans the disciplines of biology, geography, geology, and hydrology. The agency was founded on March ...
Trace Elements Investigations Report No 406 (1954)


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Christ, Charles L. 1916 births 1980 deaths American geochemists American mineralogists Wesleyan University faculty Johns Hopkins University faculty United States Geological Survey personnel Scientists from Baltimore Fellows of the Geological Society of America 20th-century American chemists Fellows of the Mineralogical Society of America