John Stuart Anderson
Encyclopedia
John Stuart Anderson FRS, FAA, (9 January 1908 – 25 December 1990) was a British
and Australia
n scientist
who was Professor of Chemistry
at the University of Melbourne
and Professor of Inorganic Chemistry
at the University of Oxford
.
He was born in Islington
, London
, the son of a Scottish
cabinet-maker, and attended school in the area but learned most of his chemistry at the Islington Public Library. His tertiary education was at the Northern Polytechnic Institute
, Imperial College and the Royal College of Science
, all in London.
Anderson's most important research work was:
In addition he carried out practical investigations on the composition of minerals
mined in Australia. He developed a love of the Australian bush and, with his family, a life-long attachment to the country.
Anderson was co-author with Harry Julius Emeléus
of the seminal textbook Modern Aspects of Inorganic Chemistry, first published in 1938, which went through numerous editions and translations for over thirty years.
John Stuart Anderson died from cancer in Canberra
on Christmas Day, 1990.
In memory of John, the University of Melbourne created the JS Anderson Prize awarded to a promising research student in the area of Chemistry.
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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...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
who was Professor of Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at the University of Melbourne
University of Melbourne
The University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
and Professor of Inorganic Chemistry
Inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and behavior of inorganic compounds. This field covers all chemical compounds except the myriad organic compounds , which are the subjects of organic chemistry...
at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
He was born in Islington
Islington
Islington is a neighbourhood in Greater London, England and forms the central district of the London Borough of Islington. It is a district of Inner London, spanning from Islington High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the area around the busy Upper Street...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, the son of a Scottish
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
cabinet-maker, and attended school in the area but learned most of his chemistry at the Islington Public Library. His tertiary education was at the Northern Polytechnic Institute
University of North London
The University of North London was a university in the United Kingdom from 1992 to 2002. On 1 August 2002, it merged with London Guildhall University to form London Metropolitan University. The former University of North London premises now form the new university's north campus, situated on...
, Imperial College and 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 ...
, all in London.
Anderson's most important research work was:
- on the application of Raman spectroscopyRaman spectroscopyRaman spectroscopy is a spectroscopic technique used to study vibrational, rotational, and other low-frequency modes in a system.It relies on inelastic scattering, or Raman scattering, of monochromatic light, usually from a laser in the visible, near infrared, or near ultraviolet range...
to valenceValence (chemistry)In chemistry, valence, also known as valency or valence number, is a measure of the number of bonds formed by an atom of a given element. "Valence" can be defined as the number of valence bonds...
problems - accounting for the composition ranges of non-stoichiometric compoundNon-stoichiometric compoundNon-stoichiometric compounds are chemical compounds with an elemental composition that cannot be represented by a ratio of well-defined natural numbers, and therefore violate the law of definite proportions. Often, they are solids that contain crystallographic point defects, such as interstitial...
s by combining the ideas of Schottky and Wagner with those of Fowler and Lacher - his use of field-emission and field ion microscopy to study surface reactions at the atomic level
- his use of the electron microscopeElectron microscopeAn electron microscope is a type of microscope that uses a beam of electrons to illuminate the specimen and produce a magnified image. Electron microscopes have a greater resolving power than a light-powered optical microscope, because electrons have wavelengths about 100,000 times shorter than...
to solve problems of reaction mechanisms in solid state chemistry - on the conditions of equilibrium of 'non-stoichiometric' chemical compounds.
In addition he carried out practical investigations on the composition of minerals
Mining in Australia
Mining in Australia is a significant primary industry and contributor to the Australian economy. Historically, mining booms have also encouraged immigration to Australia. Many different ores and minerals are mined throughout the country.-History:...
mined in Australia. He developed a love of the Australian bush and, with his family, a life-long attachment to the country.
Anderson was co-author with Harry Julius Emeléus
Harry Julius Emeléus
Harry Julius Emeléus CBE, FRS was a leading British inorganic chemist.-Early life:Emeléus was born in Poplar, London on 22 June 1903, the son of Karl Henry Emeléus , a pharmacist who was born in Vaasä, Finland. The family moved to the Old Pharmacy in Battle, Sussex shortly after Emeléus was born...
of the seminal textbook Modern Aspects of Inorganic Chemistry, first published in 1938, which went through numerous editions and translations for over thirty years.
John Stuart Anderson died from cancer in Canberra
Canberra
Canberra is the capital city of Australia. With a population of over 345,000, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The city is located at the northern end of the Australian Capital Territory , south-west of Sydney, and north-east of Melbourne...
on Christmas Day, 1990.
In memory of John, the University of Melbourne created the JS Anderson Prize awarded to a promising research student in the area of Chemistry.
Research and teaching posts
- 1930-38 Demonstrator and Assistant Lecturer at Imperial College, London
- 1931 Travelling scholarship to work with Walter HieberWalter HieberWalter Hieber was an inorganic chemist, known as the father of metal carbonyl chemistry. He was born 18 December, 1895 and died 29 November, 1976. Hieber's father was Johannes Hieber, an influential evangelical minister and politician....
on metal carbonyls at the University of Heidelberg - 1938-1947 Senior Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry, University of MelbourneUniversity of MelbourneThe University of Melbourne is a public university located in Melbourne, Victoria. Founded in 1853, it is the second oldest university in Australia and the oldest in Victoria...
- 1947-1954 Senior Principal and Deputy Chief Scientific Officer, Atomic Energy Research EstablishmentAtomic Energy Research EstablishmentThe Atomic Energy Research Establishment near Harwell, Oxfordshire, was the main centre for atomic energy research and development in the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1990s.-Founding:...
, Harwell - 1954-1959 Professor of Chemistry at the University of Melbourne
- 1959-1963 Director of the National Chemical LaboratoryNational Physical Laboratory, UKThe National Physical Laboratory is the national measurement standards laboratory for the United Kingdom, based at Bushy Park in Teddington, London, England. It is the largest applied physics organisation in the UK.-Description:...
, Teddington (closed 1965) - 1963-1975 Professor of Inorganic Chemistry, University of OxfordUniversity of OxfordThe University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
- 1975-1981 Honorary Professorial Fellow of University College, Aberystwyth
- 1981-1990 Visiting Fellow, Research School of Chemistry, Australian National UniversityAustralian National UniversityThe Australian National University is a teaching and research university located in the Australian capital, Canberra.As of 2009, the ANU employs 3,945 administrative staff who teach approximately 10,000 undergraduates, and 7,500 postgraduate students...
, Canberra
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Awards and honours
- 1944 H.G. Smith Medal, Royal Australian Chemical InstituteRoyal Australian Chemical InstituteThe Royal Australian Chemical Institute Inc. is both the qualifying body in Australia for professional chemists and a learned society promoting the science and practice of chemistry in all its branches. The RACI hosts conferences, seminars and workshops...
- 1945 Syme Research Prize, University of Melbourne
- 1953 Elected FRS
- 1954 Elected FAA
- 1973 Davy Medal, Royal SocietyRoyal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
of London - 1974-1976 President of the Dalton Division of the Chemical SocietyChemical SocietyThe Chemical Society was formed in 1841 as a result of increased interest in scientific matters....
- 1975 Award for Solid State Chemistry, Chemical Society
- 1975 Longstaff Medal, Chemical Society
- 1978 Honorary Fellow, Indian Academy of SciencesIndian Academy of SciencesThe Indian Academy of Sciences, Bangalore was founded by Sir C. V. Raman, and was registered as a Society on 24 April 1934. Inaugurated on 31 July 1934, it began with 65 founding fellows. The first general meeting of Fellows, held on the same day, elected Professor Raman as President, and adopted...
- 1979 Hon. DSc, University of BathUniversity of BathThe University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
- 1980 Hugo Muller Medal/Lecture, Chemical Society
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