George Therald Moeller (April 3, 1913- November 24, 1997) was an American chemist and emeritus professor of
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
. He is known for his various books, including the textbook ''Inorganic Chemistry, an Advanced Text'' of 1952 which has been dubbed the "Bible of
inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry deals with chemical synthesis, synthesis and behavior of inorganic compound, inorganic and organometallic chemistry, organometallic compounds. This field covers chemical compounds that are not carbon-based, which are the subj ...
."
Biography
Early life and studies
George Therald Moeller was born in
North Bend, Oregon
North Bend is a city in Coos County, Oregon, Coos County, Oregon, United States with a population of 9,695 as of the 2010 census.
He graduated from
Oregon State College
Oregon State University (OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Corvallis, Oregon, United States. OSU offers more than 200 undergraduate degree programs and a variety of graduate and doctoral degrees through all 11 of the universit ...
, earning a degree in
chemical engineering
Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials ...
in 1934. Afterwards he went to the
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison (University of Wisconsin, Wisconsin, UW, UW–Madison, or simply Madison) is a public land-grant research university in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. It was founded in 1848 when Wisconsin achieved st ...
, where he obtained a Sigma Tau National Fellowship and a Du Pont Fellowship. He received obtained his PhD in inorganic and physical chemistry in 1938. His thesis was titled "A Study of the Preparation and Certain Properties of Hydrous Lanthanum Oxide Sols", his supervisor was Francis C. Krauskopf.
Career
From 1938 to 1940, Moeller served as instructor at
Michigan State College
Michigan State University (Michigan State or MSU) is a public land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan, United States. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the first of its kind in the c ...
before joining the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
in 1940, where he became an expert in the chemistry of rare-earth elements. In 1969, he became chairman of the department of chemistry at
Arizona State University
Arizona State University (Arizona State or ASU) is a public university, public research university in Tempe, Arizona, United States. Founded in 1885 as Territorial Normal School by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, the university is o ...
(ASU), a role he held until 1975. Moeller retired in 1983 as
emeritus
''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus".
In some c ...
professor at ASU.
In 1953, he published his book ''Inorganic Chemistry, an Advanced Text'' which was well received internationally and allowed US universities to teach advanced chemistry.
Moeller and John C. Bailar Jr. founded the Inorganic Chemistry Division of the
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 ...
in 1959. Moeller served also as president of the board of directors of ''
Inorganic Syntheses
''Inorganic Syntheses'' is a book series which aims to publish "detailed and foolproof" procedures for the synthesis of inorganic compounds.
Personal life
Moeller married his wife Ellyn Stephenson in 1935, they had three children.
He died in
Broken Arrow, Oklahoma
Broken Arrow is a city in Tulsa and Wagoner counties in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. It is the largest suburb of Tulsa. According to the 2020 census, Broken Arrow has a population of 113,540 residents and is the 4th most populous city in the s ...
in 1997.
Honors and awards
In 1980, Arizona State University (ASU) established the Therald Moeller scholarship, to support students with a career in chemistry in the School of Molecular Sciences.
In 1981, he received the Award for Distinction in Undergraduate Teaching by the department of chemistry and in 1983 he received the Alumni Association's Distinguished Teacher Award as best instructor at ASU.