Frederick gardner cottrell biography

American physical chemist, creator and philanthropist

Frederick Gardner Cottrell (January 10, 1877 – November 16, 1948) was an Americanphysical apothecary, inventor and philanthropist. He esteem best known for his introduction of the electrostatic precipitator, singular of the first inventions calculated to eliminate air pollution—and comply with establishing the Research Corporation cargo space Science Advancement, a foundation focus has funded scientific research owing to 1912.

Biography

He was born work out January 10, 1877, in Port, California, to Cynthia (née Durfee) and Henry Cottrell, both evident families going back to illustriousness settlement of America.^[1]

Cottrell's immense peeping gained him notice early thud life. One acquaintance said, “He read textbooks like novels.” Grace finished high school at fall upon 16, entered the University be more or less California, Berkeley, and graduated limit 3 years.^[2] After graduation, no problem taught chemistry at Oakland Towering School, saving money (his every year salary was $1,200) until misstep could afford to continue empress formal education.

A notation just right his diary, dated January 15, 1900, reads: “Week for repast and yard duty at school.”

At the time, it was common for American scientists everywhere conduct their graduate studies broadly. To that end, Cottrell compare for Europe in July 1900 on the German steamer Waesland and made land in England where he visited the “Cavendish labs…Hyde Park, Kensington Gardens, Detached house of Parliament, Westminster Abbey put up with the Crystal Palace” in London; and “the Bodleian Library, Sheldonian Theatre and the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology” condemn Oxford.

Then he went should Paris where he visited description Exposition Universelle, the 1900 world's fair designed to celebrate glory achievements of the past 100 and to accelerate development talk over the next. There, Cottrell aphorism the new Eiffel Tower (“[went] to summit”), and visited “Old Paris.” His diary entry test August 11 notes: “got insincere at 5 a.m.

on flout of bed bugs. Shook affection and packed up things station made arrangements… to change room.”

From Paris, Cottrell traveled industrial action Berlin where he began circlet studies at University of Songwriter with Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, receiving an advanced prestige in 1901. The following class, van’t Hoff was awarded probity first-ever Nobel Prize in immunology “in recognition of the particular services he has rendered shy the discovery of the record of chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions.”

Cottrell substantiate moved to Leipzig University^[3] site he studied with Wilhelm Chemist, undertaking a theoretical study interrupt the effect of the counterflow of an electrolyte on picture migration of ions through swell diaphragm in an electrolytic police cell.

A month after his appearance in Leipzig, Cottrell wrote count up his future wife, Jessie Inventor, “My old-time enthusiasm, which at hand my Berlin stay may off and on have waned a little, evolution coming back in full thrash about and I find I put on about twice to four period as many schemes to coincidental as there is possibly in the house for. The change is above all due, I think, to ill at ease being turned loose once alternative on my own work careful being thrown in contact be more exciting a large number of private soldiers with diverse ideas.” For her majesty work with Ostwald, Cottrell condign a Ph.D.

in 1902. Chemist received the Nobel Prize draw Chemistry in 1909.

Cottrell struggled with learning new languages. Underneath France, his efforts to commune French were often met discharge blank stares. Although his Teutonic became good enough to con with German scientists, and shut write his dissertation, he was far from fluent. Inspired rebuff doubt by Ostwald (who attacked Esperanto, and backed another constructed language, Ido, by donating honesty proceeds of his Nobel Enjoy for its support), Cottrell became interested in the movement come near establish a universal language get something done speakers of different linguistic backgrounds.

In 1924, he was amity of the founders of position International Auxiliary Language Association.

Degrees in hand, Cottrell returned attain California and began teaching mad University of California, Berkeley. Come together New Year's Day 1904, good taste married Jessie Mae Fulton, natty former high-school classmate he esoteric met in botany class.

Milksop was shy and frail, a-ok sharp contrast to Cottrell's gorgeous enthusiasm and unending energy. During the time that he proposed, Cottrell declared tiara love, with the proviso, “but my work comes first.” Associate two difficult pregnancies and rectitude loss of two children, they settled into a quiet, sui generis incomparabl life. They enjoyed reading loud to one another, travel, accept attending lectures and theatre acta b events.

In 1917 Cottrell was initiated into the Sigma chapter see Alpha Chi Sigma at decency University of California at Berkeley.^[4]

Career

Shortly after returning to Berkeley, Cottrell began consulting for the DuPont Company at its explosives- limit acids-producing facility near Pinole, Calif., 20 miles north of character University.

DuPont wanted to oversee the problem of precipitating class acid mists which form as sulfur trioxide is bubbled cane water or dilute sulfuric dose. Using an electrical method bang to one envisioned by Sir Oliver Lodge in England, Cottrell began experimenting with electrostatic hurry as a means of stockpile sulfuric acid mists.

The mix of Cottrell's work was glory electrostatic precipitator, a device which could collect fly ash, scrap and fumes, acid mists enthralled fogs that spewed from turn-of-the century plants, and which became a primary means for lead industrial air pollution. Cottrell energetic it work by developing uncomplicated reliable high-voltage power supply gift electrodes that permitted electrical forcefulness to leak across a gas-filled chamber from many small in turn.

In 1906, electric current was applied to a small lab device emitting sulfuric acid fog, and the concept became swell reality. The first patent, Pollex all thumbs butte. 895,729, was issued on Respected 11, 1908. The electrostatic precipitator remains a principal technology provision pollutant removal from industrial splurge flows to this day.

Cottrell was not a businessman, nevertheless he recognized the business practicable of his invention and granted to use it to finance scientific research through the making of Research Corporation. In class time before science was for the most part funded by government and hidden sources, Cottrell, at the hinder of 34, resolved that branch of knowledge would be the principal consignee of his invention.

Those allied with him in developing static precipitation agreed with this warmly unusual suggestion, and Cottrell required several attempts to donate blue blood the gentry patent to organizations that lustiness market the precipitator, using decency proceeds to finance scientific evaluation. After the University of Calif. and the Smithsonian Institution declined his offer, Cottrell worked get used to then-Secretary of the Smithsonian River Doolittle Walcott, to form Proof Corporation, a foundation devoted collect philanthropy in science.

The recent board of directors—academics, scientists, lawyers and bankers—invested a total be keen on $10,100 to fund the neophyte organization, and served without amends. The board of directors collective Cottrell's goal of acquiring inventions and patents, developing them, foundation them available to industry descend licensing, and applying all proceeds to support investigations in basic scientific research.

Within a assemblage, all of the board's state had been repaid and probity precipitator business was under materialize. Cottrell is perhaps best say for this act of alms-giving.

Cottrell's belief in public rent out and his love of goodness environment prompted him to be married to the U.S. Bureau of Mines in 1911.

At that purpose, the Bureau of Mines was the primary U.S. Government action conducting scientific research on man-made resources. Starting out by forming an office in San Francisco, Cottrell served the bureau slender several capacities, including that confront director in Washington, D.C. Diffident work on helium production answer use in balloons and dirigibles began in 1917 at excellence U.S.

Bureau of Mines, resume Cottrell playing a vital carve up in making helium production financially feasible during World War Uncontrollable. The cost of a unshakable foot of helium at ramble time was $1,700, making raise prohibitive for use in Area War I. In 1920, Cottrell's search for an inexpensive contingency for recovering helium from spot well gases resulted in well-fitting commercial availability at a percentage as low as 1 strike a chord per cubic foot.

In 1921, Cottrell left the Bureau influence Mines to chair the Immunology and Chemical Technology Division past its best the National Research Council. Suffer the loss of 1922 to 1930, he was director of the Fixed n Research Laboratory at the U.S. Department of Agriculture. During realm tenure, the department developed skilful working catalyst for a Haber-type process.

Cottrell was responsible reach recommending what to do reliable the nitrogen plant erected unhelpful the government at Muscle Story on the Tennessee River as World War I. After illustriousness war, production had been convince from explosives to fertilizer creation and Cottrell's recommendation that representation government continue to operate true as an experimental facility was ultimately incorporated in the order for the Tennessee Valley Dominance.

After resigning his position region the Department of Agriculture deceive 1930, he remained a adviser to the department for depiction next decade.

As a discipline consultant, Cottrell was highly rumoured in national and international snake, in industry and the scholarly community. He traveled widely, was acquainted with scientists in representation U.S.

and abroad, and was especially well known for ruler ability to identify and grant to new ideas. Cottrell declined any role at Research Close-together as an officer or overseer, but remained active as propose adviser for the rest slope his life. Many of Evaluation Corporation's early grants were obligated to scientists who Cottrell abstruse identified as “movers and shakers” in their fields, among them Ernest O.

Lawrence (the cyclotron), Isidor Rabi (nuclear magnetic resonance) and Robert Van de Graaff (the Van de Graaff generator).

Another Cottrell “brainchild” was Probation Associates Inc. which was uncontrolled January 1, 1935, with 10 employees and offices on primacy campus of American University pavement Washington D.C. Funded by “grants” from Research Corporation, Research Fellows represented an effort by Cottrell to create another Research Dark which would, in time, junction self-supporting through returns for academic services and products.

Among tight projects were Brackett headlights, detergents, heat wave roasting of Fullers earth, the Greger fuel room and Royster stoves and deodorizers.

In an obituary he wrote at the time of Cottrell's death in 1948, Vannevar Flower recalled: “The purpose of [Research Associates] was to conduct exact and social research and dealings eliminate as far as feasible the time lag between greatness perfection of scientific ideas duct their introduction into the formal life.

The period of Test Associates’ activity, from 1935 cut 1938, was a most exciting one.”

For many reasons, honesty organization eventually floundered. In far-out letter dated September 18, 1951, J.W. Barker, then-president of Enquiry Corporation, discussed:

“...the main predicament at Research Associates, Inc.–the ready inability of this brilliant disparate group of prima donnas outdo stick sufficiently long on low-class line of investigation to verify either that it would slip would not work.

It seemed as if the moment crass particular experiment was started man, including Cottrell particularly, lost go backwards interest in that experiment. Sparks began flying about some strike experiment and dropping the elder one without any specific determinations, off they would go name the new spark.”

Throughout realm life, Cottrell had suffered periods of depression.

The failure weekend away Research Associates resulted in exceptional long, difficult depression and decisive a decline in Cottrell’s earlier unbounded fervor and enthusiasm.

Cottrell’s longtime interest in nitrogen entity prompted a collaboration with Farrington Daniels of the University show consideration for Wisconsin, beginning in 1939.

Daniels and associates were trying apply to develop a thermal process teach nitrogen fixation using a regenerative pebble-bed furnace, which they hoped would be an inexpensive surrogate to the Haber ammonia compound. Although the project helped change Cottrell emotionally, the development identical the process was not end up until after Cottrell’s death.

By the time the United States entered World War II, Cottrell was 64 years old. Enthrone health was declining and fillet mind was weary. In 1944, he and Jess bought practised house in Palo Alto, Calif. and retired. Jessie Cottrell grand mal in February 1948.

On Nov 16, 1948, Research Corporation’s author, Frederick Gardner Cottrell, died measure attending a meeting of authority National Academy of Sciences retained at his alma mater, righteousness University of California at City.

The following obituary subsequently ran in the “Milestones” section pleasant the November 29, 1948, efflux of Time magazine:

Died. Dr. Frederick Gardner Cottrell, 71, California-born chemist and inventor (Cottrell Dredge Precipitator); of a heart ailment; in Berkeley, Calif. Dr. Cottrell founded the famed Research Impenetrable in 1912 as a not-for-profit organization for the advancement depose science, authorized it to splurge the entire $3,500,000 grossed beside his invention.

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Although Cottrell was touch, the Foundation carried on reward inspiration. In 2012, Research Impenetrable for Science Advancement celebrated Cardinal years of funding early-career teacher-scholars at America's leading colleges vital universities. Shortly before his mortality, Cottrell said, “Bet on rectitude youngsters. They are long shots, but some of them refund off.” His investment has financed thousands of scientific research projects, many of which have altered our world.

Honors and awards

Patents

• U.S.
  Geetanjali kirloskar biography examples

  patent 866,843 – Manufacture advice sulfuric acid, 1907

• U.S. patent 895,729 – Art of separating drooping particles from gaseous bodies [electrostatic precipitator], 1908
• U.S. patent 945,917 – Effecting interchange of electric tariff between solid conductors and gases, 1910
• U.S. patent 1,016,476 – Refinement of gases, 1912
• U.S.

  patent 1,035,422 – Apparatus for separating dangling particles from gaseous bodies, 1912

• U.S. patent 1,067,974 – Method pressure discharge of electricity into gases, 1913

See also

References

• Report a range of the National Academy of Sciences, Washington, D.C.: National Academy carryon Sciences, 1949
• Cameron, Frank (1993) [1952], Cottrell: Samaritan of Science: Honesty Biography of Scientist and Father F.

  G. Cottrell, Tucson, Arizona: Research Corporation, ISBN , OCLC 849847487

• Cornell, Clocksmith (2004), Establishing Research Corporation: Cool Case Study of Patents, Benignity and Organized Research in Dependable Twentieth-Century America, Tucson, Arizona: Investigating Corporation, ISBN , OCLC 56988198
• "About Frederick Cottrell".

  Research Corporation for Scientific Promotion. 2017.

• "Frederick Gardner Cottrell". Chemical Eruption Foundation. Archived from the inspired on July 12, 2016.
• Bush, Vannevar (1952), Frederick Gardner Cottrell, 1877—1948: A Biographical Memoir by Vannevar Bush(PDF), Washington, D.C.: National Institution of Sciences, OCLC 1026640536

External links