John Calvin Giddings (September 26, 1930 – October 24, 1996) was a Distinguished Professor of chemistry at the

University of Utah The University of Utah (the U, U of U, or simply Utah) is a public university, public research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. It was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret (Book of Mormon), Deseret by the General A ...

. Obituary by Marcus Myers, ''Chromatographia 43'', (11-12), 583, 1996 Giddings received a B.S. degree from

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

in 1952 and a PhD from the University of Utah in 1954. Following

postdoctoral A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...

work at the University of Utah and the

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, he joined the faculty of the University of Utah as assistant professor of chemistry in 1957. He became associate professor in 1959, research professor in 1962, and professor in 1966. Giddings authored or co-authored more than 400 publications and edited 32 books in the field of chemistry. He was executive editor of the journal ''Separation Science and Technology'', and the editor of the series Advances in chromatography. Gidding's work in separation sciences shed light on the chromatographic processes, as well as other separation techniques, including non-equilibrium, diffusion & eddy diffusion, pressure changes, flow in paper and

thin-layer chromatography Thin-layer chromatography (TLC) is a chromatography technique that separates components in non-volatile mixtures. It is performed on a TLC plate made up of a non-reactive solid coated with a thin layer of adsorbent material. This is called the sta ...

, preparative-scale, and programmed-temperature gas chromatography (GC), exclusion chromatography,

electrophoresis Electrophoresis is the motion of charged dispersed particles or dissolved charged molecules relative to a fluid under the influence of a spatially uniform electric field. As a rule, these are zwitterions with a positive or negative net ch ...

, and the generation of non-gaussian zones. He developed understanding of the optimization of multicomponent chromatography especially in 2D separations. His vision of the capabilities of high-pressure chromatographic systems evolved into High Performance Liquid Chromatography (HPLC), by suggesting to reduce particle size of the columns' packing in liquid chromatography. Giddings also envisioned the capabilities of

Supercritical fluid chromatography Supercritical fluid chromatography (SFC) is a form of normal phase chromatography that uses a supercritical fluid such as carbon dioxide as the mobile phase. It is used for the analysis and purification of low to moderate molecular weight, therm ...

, by developing the theory and ground work of dense gas chromatographic system. Eventually Prof Giddings invented the one-phase separation technique called " field-flow fractionation" (FFF). He developed the concept of a chromatographic-like system in which retention is established and controlled by an external field rather than by the stationary phase. The FFF system extends the range of chromatography upward to include macromolecules and particles of almost every type and size, from 0.001 to 10 μm and beyond. He was nominated for a Nobel Prize in 1984 and 1994. Giddings received numerous honors for his work including American Chemical Society Awards in Chromatography and Electrophoresis, in Analytical Chemistry, and in Separation Science and Technology. He also received the Tswett Medal in Chromatography, and the Nichols Medical from the New York Section of the ACS. On May 27, 1987, Giddings received an

honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or '' ad hon ...

from the faculty of pharmacy at

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Besides being an exceptional scientist, he was also a passionate outdoor sportive practicing climbing and kayaking
in Utah and a fervent defender of the environment. He died of cancer in 1996.

Selected works

* J. Calvin Giddings (1965). ''Dynamics of Chromatography''. Marcel Decker, NY. * J. Calvin Giddings (1991). ''Unified Separation Science''. John Wiley & Sons, NY.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Giddings, J. Calvin University of Utah faculty 1996 deaths 1930 births People from American Fork, Utah 20th-century American chemists