From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Gerhard Herzberg, PC, CC, FRSC, FRS
(December 25, 1904 – March 3, 1999) was a pioneering physicist and physical chemist, who won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1971. Born in
Germany, he fled to Canada
in 1935, where he continued his distinguished scientific
career.
Herzberg's main work concerned atomic and molecular spectroscopy. He is
well known for using these techniques that determine the structures
of diatomic and polyatomic molecules,
including free radicals which are difficult to investigate in any
other way, and for the chemical analysis of astronomical
objects.
Herzberg served as Chancellor of Carleton University in Ottawa, Canada from 1973 to
1980.
Biography
- 1904 Born and educated in Hamburg, Germany
- 1928 Dr.Ing. degree at Darmstadt University of
Technology under H. Rau
- 1928–30 Post-doctoral work at the University of Göttingen and Bristol
University under James Franck, Max Born, John Lennard-Jones
- 1930 Darmstadt University of
Technology: Privatdozent (lecturer) and senior assistant in
Physics
- 1935 Guest professor, University of Saskatchewan
(Saskatoon, Canada)
- 1936–45 Professor of Physics, University of Saskatchewan
- 1939 Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada
- 1945–8 Professor of spectroscopy, Yerkes Observatory, University of Chicago (Chicago, United States)
- 1948 Director of the Division of Pure Physics, National Research Council of Canada
- 1951 Fellow of the Royal Society of London
- 1957–63 Vice President of the International Union of Pure and
Applied Physics
- 1956–7 President of the Canadian Association of
Physicists
- 1960 gives Bakerian Lecturer of the Royal Society of
London
- 1966–7 President of the Royal Society of Canada
- 1968 Companion of the Order of Canada
- 1968 George Fischer Baker Non-Resident Lecturer in Chemistry at
Cornell
University (Ithaca, United
States)
- 1969 Willard Gibbs Award
- 1969 Distinguished Research Scientist in the recombined
Division of Physics, at the National Research Council of Canada
- 1970 Lecturer of the Chemical Society of London, receives
Faraday Medal
- 1971 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for
his contributions to the knowledge of electronic structure and
geometry of molecules, particularly free radicals"[1]
- 1971 Royal Medal from Royal Society of London
- 1973-1980 Chancellor of Carleton University (Ottawa, Canada)
- 1992 Sworn into the Queen's Privy Council for
Canada
- 1999 Died aged 94
Honours and
awards
Herzberg was honoured with memberships or fellowships by a very
large number of scientific societies, received many awards and
honorary degrees in different countries. The NSERC Gerhard Herzberg Canada
Gold Medal for Science and Engineering, Canada's highest research
award, was named in his honour in 2000. The Canadian Association of
Physicists also has an annual award named in his honour. The Herzberg Institute of
Astrophysics is named for him. He was made a member of the International
Academy of Quantum Molecular Science. Asteroid 3316 Herzberg is
named after him. In 1964 he was awarded the Frederic Ives Medal by
the OSA
The main building of John Abbott College in Montreal is named after him.
A public park in the College Park neighbourhood of
Saskatoon also bears his
name.
Books
Herzberg had authored a few books where some of them are classic
in the field of spectroscopy.
- Molecular Spectra and Molecular Structure: I. Spectra of
Diatomic Molecules.
- Molecular Spectra and Molecular Structure: II. Infrared and
Raman Spectra of Polyatomic Molecules.
- Molecular Spectra and Molecular Structure: III. Electronic
Spectra and Electronic Structure of Polyatomic Molecules.
References
External
links
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Nobel Laureates in Chemistry |
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