Arthur Lindo Patterson
Encyclopedia
Arthur Lindo Patterson was a pioneering British
X-ray crystallographer
. Patterson was born to British parents in New Zealand in 1902. Shortly afterwards the family moved to Montreal, Canada and later to London, England. In 1920 Patterson moved to Canada for college at McGill University
, Montreal. Firstly he concentrated on Mathematics and but then changed his major to Physics. He received his bachelor's degree in 1923 and a master's in 1924. His master's thesis was on the production of hard X-rays by interaction of radium
β rays with solids.
From 1924 to 1926 he worked in London in the laboratory of W. H. Bragg, where he learnt the art of crystal structure analysis.
In 1926 Patterson moved to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-institut of Fibrous Materials Chemistry in Berlin-Dahlem, where he worked on the X-ray crystallography of cellulose
fibres. In Berlin he had the fortune to meet the scientific elite of the time, which included Max von Laue
, Albert Einstein
, Max Planck
, Walther Nernst
, Hans Bethe
, Otto Hahn
, Lise Meitner
and Peter Pringsheim.
In 1927 he returned to McGill, finishing his work for the Ph.D. degree in 1928.
From 1933 to 1946, Patterson was a visiting researcher in the laboratory of Bertram Eugene Warren
(1902–1991) at MIT. It was during this time that he published his famous function, now called the Patterson function
, which subsequently developed into an extremely important theoretical tool in X-ray crystal structure analysis, especially when one or more heavy atoms are present in the structure.
From 1936 to 1949, he taught at Bryn Mawr College
, and from 1949 to 1966, he was a faculty member at the Institute for Cancer Research, now the Fox Chase Cancer Center
in Philadelphia.
.
In 1934, while at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
, he developed a method of solving crystal structure
s, the Patterson function
, which involves the summing of the Fourier series
in two and three dimensions.
In addition he became concerned about the problem of uniqueness of the deconvolution of the Patterson function and was able
to show that under some conditions several different atomic arrangements - 'homometric structures
' - could exist that would give the same Patterson function and therefore the same intensities in reciprocal space.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
X-ray crystallographer
X-ray crystallography
X-ray crystallography is a method of determining the arrangement of atoms within a crystal, in which a beam of X-rays strikes a crystal and causes the beam of light to spread into many specific directions. From the angles and intensities of these diffracted beams, a crystallographer can produce a...
. Patterson was born to British parents in New Zealand in 1902. Shortly afterwards the family moved to Montreal, Canada and later to London, England. In 1920 Patterson moved to Canada for college at McGill University
McGill University
Mohammed Fathy is a public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The university bears the name of James McGill, a prominent Montreal merchant from Glasgow, Scotland, whose bequest formed the beginning of the university...
, Montreal. Firstly he concentrated on Mathematics and but then changed his major to Physics. He received his bachelor's degree in 1923 and a master's in 1924. His master's thesis was on the production of hard X-rays by interaction of radium
Radium
Radium is a chemical element with atomic number 88, represented by the symbol Ra. Radium is an almost pure-white alkaline earth metal, but it readily oxidizes on exposure to air, becoming black in color. All isotopes of radium are highly radioactive, with the most stable isotope being radium-226,...
β rays with solids.
From 1924 to 1926 he worked in London in the laboratory of W. H. Bragg, where he learnt the art of crystal structure analysis.
In 1926 Patterson moved to the Kaiser-Wilhelm-institut of Fibrous Materials Chemistry in Berlin-Dahlem, where he worked on the X-ray crystallography of cellulose
Cellulose
Cellulose is an organic compound with the formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to over ten thousand β linked D-glucose units....
fibres. In Berlin he had the fortune to meet the scientific elite of the time, which included Max von Laue
Max von Laue
Max Theodor Felix von Laue was a German physicist who won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1914 for his discovery of the diffraction of X-rays by crystals...
, Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein was a German-born theoretical physicist who developed the theory of general relativity, effecting a revolution in physics. For this achievement, Einstein is often regarded as the father of modern physics and one of the most prolific intellects in human history...
, Max Planck
Max Planck
Max Karl Ernst Ludwig Planck, ForMemRS, was a German physicist who actualized the quantum physics, initiating a revolution in natural science and philosophy. He is regarded as the founder of the quantum theory, for which he received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1918.-Life and career:Planck came...
, Walther Nernst
Walther Nernst
Walther Hermann Nernst FRS was a German physical chemist and physicist who is known for his theories behind the calculation of chemical affinity as embodied in the third law of thermodynamics, for which he won the 1920 Nobel Prize in chemistry...
, Hans Bethe
Hans Bethe
Hans Albrecht Bethe was a German-American nuclear physicist, and Nobel laureate in physics for his work on the theory of stellar nucleosynthesis. A versatile theoretical physicist, Bethe also made important contributions to quantum electrodynamics, nuclear physics, solid-state physics and...
, Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn FRS was a German chemist and Nobel laureate, a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is regarded as "the father of nuclear chemistry". Hahn was a courageous opposer of Jewish persecution by the Nazis and after World War II he became a passionate campaigner...
, Lise Meitner
Lise Meitner
Lise Meitner FRS was an Austrian-born, later Swedish, physicist who worked on radioactivity and nuclear physics. Meitner was part of the team that discovered nuclear fission, an achievement for which her colleague Otto Hahn was awarded the Nobel Prize...
and Peter Pringsheim.
In 1927 he returned to McGill, finishing his work for the Ph.D. degree in 1928.
From 1933 to 1946, Patterson was a visiting researcher in the laboratory of Bertram Eugene Warren
Bertram Eugene Warren
Bertram Eugene Warren was an American crystallographer. His studies of X-rays provided much knowledge and understanding of both crystalline and non-crystalline materials. He also worked on changing amorphous solids to a crystalline state.-References:...
(1902–1991) at MIT. It was during this time that he published his famous function, now called the Patterson function
Patterson function
The Patterson function is used to solve the phase problem in X-ray crystallography. It was introduced in 1935 by Arthur Lindo Patterson while he was a visiting researcher in the laboratory of Bertram Eugene Warren at MIT....
, which subsequently developed into an extremely important theoretical tool in X-ray crystal structure analysis, especially when one or more heavy atoms are present in the structure.
From 1936 to 1949, he taught at Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College
Bryn Mawr College is a women's liberal arts college located in Bryn Mawr, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania, ten miles west of Philadelphia. The name "Bryn Mawr" means "big hill" in Welsh....
, and from 1949 to 1966, he was a faculty member at the Institute for Cancer Research, now the Fox Chase Cancer Center
Fox Chase Cancer Center
The Fox Chase Cancer Center is a National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center research facility and hospital located in the Fox Chase section of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. The main facilities of the center are located on property adjoining Burholme Park...
in Philadelphia.
Achievements
His work led to some of the first important contributions to the theory of particle-size line broadeningSpectral line
A spectral line is a dark or bright line in an otherwise uniform and continuous spectrum, resulting from a deficiency or excess of photons in a narrow frequency range, compared with the nearby frequencies.- Types of line spectra :...
.
In 1934, while at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
, he developed a method of solving crystal structure
Crystal structure
In mineralogy and crystallography, crystal structure is a unique arrangement of atoms or molecules in a crystalline liquid or solid. A crystal structure is composed of a pattern, a set of atoms arranged in a particular way, and a lattice exhibiting long-range order and symmetry...
s, the Patterson function
Patterson function
The Patterson function is used to solve the phase problem in X-ray crystallography. It was introduced in 1935 by Arthur Lindo Patterson while he was a visiting researcher in the laboratory of Bertram Eugene Warren at MIT....
, which involves the summing of the Fourier series
Fourier series
In mathematics, a Fourier series decomposes periodic functions or periodic signals into the sum of a set of simple oscillating functions, namely sines and cosines...
in two and three dimensions.
In addition he became concerned about the problem of uniqueness of the deconvolution of the Patterson function and was able
to show that under some conditions several different atomic arrangements - 'homometric structures
Homometric structures
In chemistry and crystallography, structures of identical atoms that are characterized by the same set of interatomic distances are defined as homometric structures. Homometric crystal structures produce identical diffraction patterns; therefore, they cannot be distinguished by a diffraction...
' - could exist that would give the same Patterson function and therefore the same intensities in reciprocal space.
External links
See also
- Patterson functionPatterson functionThe Patterson function is used to solve the phase problem in X-ray crystallography. It was introduced in 1935 by Arthur Lindo Patterson while he was a visiting researcher in the laboratory of Bertram Eugene Warren at MIT....
- Structure factorStructure factorIn condensed matter physics and crystallography, the static structure factor is a mathematical description of how a material scatters incident radiation...