William Giauque
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William Francis Giauque (Template:IPAc-en;<ref>The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 2004.</ref> May 12, 1895 – March 28, 1982) was a Canadian-born American chemist and Nobel laureate. He was recognized in 1949, for his studies in the properties of matter, at temperatures close to absolute zero. He spent virtually all of his educational and professional career at the University of California, Berkeley.
Biography
William Francis Giauque was born in Niagara Falls, Ontario, on May 12, 1895.
His father (William Tecumseh Giauque) was an American citizen, and so William Francis Giauque was conferred American citizenship, despite being born in Canada,<ref name=":0">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":1">Template:Cite book</ref>
In 1926, he proposed a method for observing temperatures considerably below 1 Kelvin (1 K is −457.87 °F or −272.15 °C). He developed a magnetic refrigeration device of his own design in order to achieve this outcome, getting closer to absolute zero than many scientists had thought possible. This trailblazing work, apart from proving one of the fundamental laws of nature led to stronger steel, better gasoline and more efficient processes in a range of industries.
Giauque was elected a member of the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1936,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1940,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1950.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Personal life
In 1932, Giauque married Dr. Muriel Frances Ashley and they had two sons. He died on March 28, 1982, in Berkeley, California.
Notes
References
External links
- National Academy of Sciences biography
- Template:Nobelprize including the Nobel Lecture on December 12, 1949 Some Consequences of Low Temperature Research in Chemical Thermodynamics
- Template:Webarchive.
- Template:Cite journal
Template:Nobel Prize in Chemistry Laureates 1926-1950 Template:1949 Nobel Prize winners
- 1895 births
- 1982 deaths
- American physical chemists
- American Nobel laureates
- Canadian Nobel laureates
- Nobel laureates in Chemistry
- People from Niagara Falls, Ontario
- University of California, Berkeley alumni
- UC Berkeley College of Chemistry faculty
- Canadian emigrants to the United States
- Members of the American Philosophical Society
- 20th-century American chemists