Irving Langmuir
Nobel-winning chemist and physicist who pioneered surface chemistry, plasma physics, and the gas-filled incandescent lamp.
Irving Langmuir (January 31, 1881 – August 16, 1957) was an American chemist, physicist, and metallurgical engineer. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1932 for his contributions to surface chemistry. Langmuir is best known for his 1919 paper on the arrangement of electrons in atoms and molecules, in which he expanded upon Gilbert N. Lewis’s cubical atom theory and Walther Kossel’s chemical bonding ideas to propose his own concentric theory of atomic structure. Although the core concepts originated with Lewis, Langmuir’s skill as a presenter helped popularize the theory, leading to a priority dispute between the two scientists. Langmuir spent most of his career at General Electric from 1909 to 1950, where he made significant advances in multiple fields. He invented the gas-filled incandescent lamp and developed the hydrogen welding technique. His early work on light bulbs led to improvements in the diffusion pump and the creation of high-vacuum tubes. He discovered that filling a bulb with an inert gas and using a coiled tungsten filament greatly extended the life of the lamp. In surface chemistry, he found that molecular hydrogen could dissociate on a hot tungsten filament, forming a single-atom-thick layer. Langmuir also studied thermionic emission and plasmas, coining the term “plasma” for ionized gases. With Lewi Tonks, he identified electron density waves now called Langmuir waves. He invented the Langmuir probe, a diagnostic tool for measuring plasma temperature and density, and introduced the concept of electron temperature. His work on oil films, which showed that certain molecules form a single-molecule-thick layer on water, became the basis for his Nobel Prize. Later, he contributed to atomic theory and the understanding of atomic structure. The Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research in New Mexico and the American Chemical Society’s journal *Langmuir* are named in his honor.
- born
- January 31, 1881, Brooklyn, New York
- died
- August 16, 1957, Woods Hole, Massachusetts
- field
- Chemistry, physics, metallurgical engineering
- nationality
- American
- known_for
- Surface chemistry, gas-filled incandescent lamp, atomic hydrogen welding, Langmuir probe, Langmuir waves, cloud seeding
Lore & Background
Langmuir's most famous publication is the 1919 article 'The Arrangement of Electrons in Atoms and Molecules' in which, building on Gilbert N. Lewis's cubical atom theory and Walther Kossel's chemical bonding theory, he outlined his 'concentric theory of atomic structure'. Langmuir became embroiled in a priority dispute with Lewis over this work; Langmuir's presentation skills were largely responsible for the popularization of the theory, although the credit for the theory itself belongs mostly to Lewis. While at General Electric from 1909 to 1950, Langmuir advanced several fields of physics and chemistry, inventing the gas-filled incandescent lamp and the hydrogen welding technique. The Langmuir Laboratory for Atmospheric Research near Socorro, New Mexico, was named in his honor, as was the American Chemical Society journal for surface science called Langmuir.
Reader's Guide
Langmuir earned his PhD in 1906 under Friedrich Dolezalek in Göttingen, for research done using the 'Nernst glower', an electric lamp invented by Nernst. His doctoral thesis was entitled 'On the Partial Recombination of Dissolved Gases During Cooling'. His initial contributions to science came from his study of light bulbs. His first major development was the improvement of the diffusion pump, which ultimately led to the invention of the high-vacuum rectifier and amplifier tubes. He discovered that the lifetime of a tungsten filament could be greatly lengthened by filling the bulb with an inert gas, such as argon. He also discovered atomic hydrogen, which he put to use by inventing the atomic hydrogen welding process. He introduced the concept of electron temperature and in 1924 invented the diagnostic method for measuring both temperature and density with an electrostatic probe, now called a Langmuir probe. In 1917, he published a paper on the chemistry of oil films that later became the basis for the award of the 1932 Nobel Prize in chemistry.
Did You Know?
- Langmuir was the first to call ionized gases 'plasma' because they reminded him of blood plasma.
- He coined the term 'pathological science' in 1953, describing research conducted with accordance to the scientific method but tainted by unconscious bias.
- Langmuir's hobbies included mountaineering, skiing, piloting his own plane, and classical music.
- He was an agnostic in religious views.
Notable Quotes (Wikiquote)
"To me, [it's] extremely interesting that men, perfectly honest, enthusiastic over their work, can so completely fool themselves." — Irving Langmuir "The Arrangement of Electrons in Atoms and Molecules" JACS, Vol. 41, No. 6, 868." — Irving Langmuir "The adsorption of gases on plane surfaces of glass, mica and platinum" JACS, Vol. 40, No. 9, 1361." — Irving Langmuir
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