Matthew A. Hunter
Encyclopedia
Matthew Albert Hunter was a metallurgist and inventor of the Hunter process
for producing titanium
metal.
Hunter was born in Auckland
, New Zealand
in 1878 and received his early education in local public schools. He attended Auckland University College
, where he earned his Bachelor
's and Master
's degrees, and later studied at University College, London, earning a Doctor of Science
degree, and at various other European universities. He met his future wife Mary Pond in Europe, as a fellow student, and married after traveling to America. He became employed at the research laboratories of General Electric
, where he began his research into Titanium. Following the recession of 1908, he left GE and became a professor of Electrical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
in Troy
, New York
.
but proved difficult to isolate. It was isolated to 95% purity by Lars Nilson and Otto Pettersson, and later isolated to 98% purity by Henri Moissan
using an electric furnace. In 1910, Hunter produced 99.9% pure titanium in a method that became known as the Hunter Process. The process involves heating Titanium Chloride with metallic Sodium
in an airtight steel cylinder known as a "metal bomb". Because of the dangers of elemental Sodium and the high temperatures and pressures involved, many of the experiments were done outside on the football field of the RPI campus. Hunter believed titanium might have a high melting point and would be able to replace the carbon filaments that were used in light bulbs at the time. It turned out its melting point was not high enough for application in light bulbs, but he found other useful properties of the metal. The Hunter process is very inefficient, and is not able to produce large amounts of Titanium, so production of Titanium remained mainly confined to the laboratory until being replaced by the more efficient Kroll process
in the 1940s. The Hunter process remains of use only in the most demanding applications where high purity is needed.
Hunter served for five years as head of the Department of Electrical Engineering, and helped found the Department of Metallurgical Engineering. He served as head of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering from 1935-1947 and became Dean of Faculty in 1943. The department of Metallurgical Engineering was eventually transformed into the Department of Materials Engineering. He received an honorary doctorate from RPI in 1949. In 1959, Dr. Hunter received the Gold Medal of the American Society of Metals in recognition of a lifetime devoted to advancing metallurgical and engineering education. The Matthew Albert Hunter Prize in Metallurgical Engineering was established at RPI in 1951.
He died March 24, 1961 in Troy at the age of 82. He was inducted into RPI's Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009.
Hunter process
The Hunter process was the first industrial process to produce pure ductile metallic titanium. It was invented in 1910 by Matthew A. Hunter, a chemist born in New Zealand, who worked in America....
for producing titanium
Titanium
Titanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ti and atomic number 22. It has a low density and is a strong, lustrous, corrosion-resistant transition metal with a silver color....
metal.
Hunter was born in Auckland
Auckland
The Auckland metropolitan area , in the North Island of New Zealand, is the largest and most populous urban area in the country with residents, percent of the country's population. Auckland also has the largest Polynesian population of any city in the world...
, New Zealand
New Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
in 1878 and received his early education in local public schools. He attended Auckland University College
University of Auckland
The University of Auckland is a university located in Auckland, New Zealand. It is the largest university in the country and the highest ranked in the 2011 QS World University Rankings, having been ranked worldwide...
, where he earned his Bachelor
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
's and Master
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
's degrees, and later studied at University College, London, earning a Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science , usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D. or Dr.Sc., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries Doctor of Science is the name used for the standard doctorate in the sciences, elsewhere the Sc.D...
degree, and at various other European universities. He met his future wife Mary Pond in Europe, as a fellow student, and married after traveling to America. He became employed at the research laboratories of General Electric
General Electric
General Electric Company , or GE, is an American multinational conglomerate corporation incorporated in Schenectady, New York and headquartered in Fairfield, Connecticut, United States...
, where he began his research into Titanium. Following the recession of 1908, he left GE and became a professor of Electrical Engineering at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Stephen Van Rensselaer established the Rensselaer School on November 5, 1824 with a letter to the Rev. Dr. Samuel Blatchford, in which van Rensselaer asked Blatchford to serve as the first president. Within the letter he set down several orders of business. He appointed Amos Eaton as the school's...
in Troy
Troy, New York
Troy is a city in the US State of New York and the seat of Rensselaer County. Troy is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Hudson River. Troy has close ties to the nearby cities of Albany and Schenectady, forming a region popularly called the Capital...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Background
Titanium was discovered in 1792 by William GregorWilliam Gregor
William Gregor was the British clergyman and mineralogist who discovered the elemental metal titanium.-Early years:...
but proved difficult to isolate. It was isolated to 95% purity by Lars Nilson and Otto Pettersson, and later isolated to 98% purity by Henri Moissan
Henri Moissan
Ferdinand Frederick Henri Moissan was a French chemist who won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work in isolating fluorine from its compounds.-Biography:...
using an electric furnace. In 1910, Hunter produced 99.9% pure titanium in a method that became known as the Hunter Process. The process involves heating Titanium Chloride with metallic Sodium
Sodium
Sodium is a chemical element with the symbol Na and atomic number 11. It is a soft, silvery-white, highly reactive metal and is a member of the alkali metals; its only stable isotope is 23Na. It is an abundant element that exists in numerous minerals, most commonly as sodium chloride...
in an airtight steel cylinder known as a "metal bomb". Because of the dangers of elemental Sodium and the high temperatures and pressures involved, many of the experiments were done outside on the football field of the RPI campus. Hunter believed titanium might have a high melting point and would be able to replace the carbon filaments that were used in light bulbs at the time. It turned out its melting point was not high enough for application in light bulbs, but he found other useful properties of the metal. The Hunter process is very inefficient, and is not able to produce large amounts of Titanium, so production of Titanium remained mainly confined to the laboratory until being replaced by the more efficient Kroll process
Kroll process
Kroll Process is a pyrometallurgical industrial process used to produce metallic titanium. It was invented by William J. Kroll in Luxembourg. After moving to the United States, Kroll further developed the method for the production of zirconium...
in the 1940s. The Hunter process remains of use only in the most demanding applications where high purity is needed.
Hunter served for five years as head of the Department of Electrical Engineering, and helped found the Department of Metallurgical Engineering. He served as head of the Department of Metallurgical Engineering from 1935-1947 and became Dean of Faculty in 1943. The department of Metallurgical Engineering was eventually transformed into the Department of Materials Engineering. He received an honorary doctorate from RPI in 1949. In 1959, Dr. Hunter received the Gold Medal of the American Society of Metals in recognition of a lifetime devoted to advancing metallurgical and engineering education. The Matthew Albert Hunter Prize in Metallurgical Engineering was established at RPI in 1951.
He died March 24, 1961 in Troy at the age of 82. He was inducted into RPI's Alumni Hall of Fame in 2009.