Harry Julius Emeléus
Encyclopedia
Harry Julius Emeléus CBE
, FRS (22 June 1903 – 2 December 1993) was a leading British inorganic chemist.
on 22 June 1903, the son of Karl Henry Emeléus (1869–1948), a pharmacist who was born in Vaasä, Finland
. The family moved to the Old Pharmacy in Battle, Sussex shortly after Emeléus was born. His elder brother Karl George Emeléus (1901–1989), went on to become professor of physics at the Queen's University of Belfast
.
Emeléus was educated at St Leonards Collegiate School, Hastings, and Hastings grammar school followed by the Royal College of Science
, Imperial College, London, graduating in 1923. He gained his PhD in 1926 and a DSc three years later. During his post-graduate studies he spent time at the University of Karlsruhe as a student of Alfred Stock
and two years at Princeton University
with Professor Hugh Stott Taylor
.
(1955–60). He was also president of the Chemical Society
(1958–60) and of the Royal Institute of Chemistry
(1963–5).
, Cambridge
, on 2 December 1993. He was survived by his four children, his wife having predeceased him in January 1991.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRS (22 June 1903 – 2 December 1993) was a leading British inorganic chemist.
Early life
Emeléus was born in Poplar, LondonPoplar, London
Poplar is a historic, mainly residential area of the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. It is about east of Charing Cross. Historically a hamlet in the parish of Stepney, Middlesex, in 1817 Poplar became a civil parish. In 1855 the Poplar District of the Metropolis was...
on 22 June 1903, the son of Karl Henry Emeléus (1869–1948), a pharmacist who was born in Vaasä, Finland
Finland
Finland , officially the Republic of Finland, is a Nordic country situated in the Fennoscandian region of Northern Europe. It is bordered by Sweden in the west, Norway in the north and Russia in the east, while Estonia lies to its south across the Gulf of Finland.Around 5.4 million people reside...
. The family moved to the Old Pharmacy in Battle, Sussex shortly after Emeléus was born. His elder brother Karl George Emeléus (1901–1989), went on to become professor of physics at the Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University of Belfast
Queen's University Belfast is a public research university in Belfast, Northern Ireland. The university's official title, per its charter, is the Queen's University of Belfast. It is often referred to simply as Queen's, or by the abbreviation QUB...
.
Emeléus was educated at St Leonards Collegiate School, Hastings, and Hastings grammar school followed by the Royal College of Science
Royal College of Science
The Royal College of Science was a higher education institution located in South Kensington; it was a constituent college of Imperial College London from 1907 until it was wholly absorbed by Imperial in 2002. Alumni include H. G. Wells and Brian May and are distinguishable by the letters ARCS ...
, Imperial College, London, graduating in 1923. He gained his PhD in 1926 and a DSc three years later. During his post-graduate studies he spent time at the University of Karlsruhe as a student of Alfred Stock
Alfred Stock
Alfred Stock was a German inorganic chemist. He did pioneering research on the hydrides of boron and silicon, coordination chemistry, mercury, and mercury poisoning...
and two years at Princeton University
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university located in Princeton, New Jersey, United States. The school is one of the eight universities of the Ivy League, and is one of the nine Colonial Colleges founded before the American Revolution....
with Professor Hugh Stott Taylor
Hugh Stott Taylor
Hugh Stott Taylor was an English chemist primarily interested in catalysis. In 1928, in a landmark contribution to catalytic theory, Taylor suggested that a catalyzed chemical reaction is not catalyzed over the entire solid surface of the catalyst but only at certain ‘active sites’ or centers.He...
.
Career
Emeléus served as president of the inorganic chemistry division of the International Union of Pure and Applied ChemistryInternational Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry
The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations that represents chemists in individual countries. It is a member of the International Council for Science . The international headquarters of IUPAC is located in Zürich,...
(1955–60). He was also president of the Chemical Society
Chemical Society
The Chemical Society was formed in 1841 as a result of increased interest in scientific matters....
(1958–60) and of the Royal Institute of Chemistry
Royal Institute of Chemistry
The Royal Institute of Chemistry was a British scientific organisation.Founded in 1877 as the Institute of Chemistry of Great Britain, its role was to focus on qualifications and the professional status of chemists, and its aim was to ensure that consulting and analytical chemists were properly...
(1963–5).
Awards
- Edward Harrison Memorial PrizeEdward Harrison Memorial PrizeThe Edward Harrison Memorial Prize was awarded by the Royal Society of Chemistry to a British chemist who was under 32 years, and working the fields of theoretical or physical chemistry...
(1932) - Tilden Prize (1942)
- Fellow of the Royal Society (1946)
- Liversidge Award (1954)
- Alfred Stock Memorial PrizeAlfred Stock Memorial PrizeThe Alfred-Stock Memorial Prize or Alfred-Stock-Gedächtnispreis is an award for "an outstanding independent scientific experimental investigation in the field of inorganic chemistry." It is awarded annually by the German Chemical Society...
and medal of the Gesellschaft Deutscher ChemikerGesellschaft Deutscher ChemikerThe Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker is a learned society and professional association founded in 1949 to represent the interests of German chemists in local, national and international contexts...
(1954) - Commander of the Order of the British Empire (1958)
- Davy MedalDavy MedalThe Davy Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "for an outstandingly important recent discovery in any branch of chemistry". Named after Humphry Davy, the medal is awarded with a gift of £1000. The medal was first awarded in 1877 to Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Robert Kirchhoff "for...
of the Royal Society (1962) - Henri Moissan prize for fluorine chemistry, Germany (1991)
- Lavoisier MedalLavoisier MedalA Lavoisier Medal is an award made by any of a number of bodies, for achievements in chemical related disciplines. The award is named for Antoine Lavoisier, considered by some to be a father of modern chemistry....
of the Société Chimique de FranceSociété Chimique de FranceThe Société Chimique de France is a learned society and professional association founded in 1857 to represent the interests of French chemists in a variety of ways in local, national and international contexts.-History:...
(French Chemical Society)
Death
Emeléus died of heart failure at Addenbrooke's HospitalAddenbrooke's Hospital
Addenbrooke's Hospital is an internationally renowned teaching hospital in Cambridge, England, with strong links to the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 1766 on Trumpington Street with £4,500 from the will of Dr John Addenbrooke, a fellow of St Catharine's College...
, Cambridge
Cambridge
The city of Cambridge is a university town and the administrative centre of the county of Cambridgeshire, England. It lies in East Anglia about north of London. Cambridge is at the heart of the high-technology centre known as Silicon Fen – a play on Silicon Valley and the fens surrounding the...
, on 2 December 1993. He was survived by his four children, his wife having predeceased him in January 1991.