Theodore William Richards Chemist, Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1914 Date of Birth: 31.01.1868 Country: USA

Biography of Theodore William Richards

Theodore William Richards was an American chemist and the recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1914. He was born into a Quaker family as the fourth of six children to William T. Richards, a marine and landscape artist, and poet Anna Matlack. Richards was home-schooled by his mother, and during the summer months, his family would reside in their home in Newport, Rhode Island, where their neighbor was Harvard University chemistry professor J.P. Cooke Jr. It was Cooke who sparked Richards' interest in science.

At the age of 14, Richards entered Haverford College as a second-year student and excelled in the fields of chemistry and astronomy. In 1885, he graduated at the top of his class and obtained a Bachelor of Science degree in Chemistry. That same fall, he enrolled at Harvard University to study under Cooke, and in 1886, he completed the course with outstanding results. As a graduate student under Cooke, Richards focused on the study of atomic weights, specifically the relationship between atomic masses.

In the early 19th century, English scientist William Prout hypothesized that all chemical elements were composed of hydrogen atoms. He based this on the experimental fact that the atomic mass of any element is approximately a multiple of the hydrogen atom's mass. However, with the advancement of measurement accuracy, chemists such as Jöns Jacob Berzelius and Jean Servais Stas discovered that atomic weights were not whole numbers. For example, the atomic mass of chlorine was found to be 35.5, ruling out the possibility of constructing chlorine atoms solely from hydrogen atoms and suggesting the existence of different isotopes of chlorine with varying atomic masses.

Stanislao Cannizzaro proposed a rational system of atomic weights based on clear distinctions between atoms, molecules, and equivalents, bringing clarity to the confusion surrounding these concepts. Nevertheless, the reliability of atomic weight values remained uncertain by the end of the 19th century.

Richards focused on determining the atomic masses of oxygen and hydrogen. He developed an innovative method that involved burning a specific quantity of hydrogen with copper oxide, resulting in the formation of water. His results, which showed a hydrogen-to-oxygen weight ratio of 1:15.96, contradicted the prevailing belief that the atomic mass of any element should be a whole number multiple of the hydrogen atom's mass. Richards also refined the atomic mass of copper, correcting the previously accepted value of 63.31 to 63.54. To improve measurement accuracy, he invented several new instruments, including apparatus that prevented atmospheric moisture from contaminating experimental samples, a calorimeter unaffected by slight temperature fluctuations caused by the substances being studied, and a nephelometer for visually determining particle concentration or size in a solution. From 1888 to 1923, Richards accurately determined the atomic masses of 25 elements.

By confirming that cobalt had a higher atomic mass than nickel, despite being positioned earlier in the Periodic Table, Richards demonstrated that atomic masses were not the foundation of chemical order. He also discovered that lead in radioactive minerals had a significantly lower atomic mass than "normal" lead, providing early evidence for the existence of isotopes – atoms of the same element with different atomic masses. Richards' study of thermodynamic properties at low temperatures in 1902 made observations that preceded the third law of thermodynamics, discovered three years later by Walther Nernst. He also had a particular interest in atomic volumes and formulated the theory of "compressible" atoms in 1907, which established a dependence between atomic volume and chemical state.

After receiving a Ph.D. from Harvard University in 1888, Richards was awarded the Parker Fellowship, which allowed him to continue his education in Germany at the University of Göttingen, the University of Munich, and the Technical University of Dresden. There, he studied under renowned chemists such as Victor Meyer, Paul Erhardt Jannasch, Alexander Gerhard Kruess, and Walter Matthias Hempel. Upon his return to Harvard the following year, Richards became a lecturer in quantitative analysis. In 1891, he became a curator, and in 1894, an assistant professor at Harvard University. After Cooke's death, Richards was sent abroad once again for further qualification, working with Wilhelm Ostwald at the University of Leipzig and Walther Nernst at the University of Göttingen. Later, in 1904, he conducted research at the University of Berlin.

In 1901, Richards became a professor at Harvard University and, from 1903 to 1911, served as the head of the Chemistry Department. He held the position of chemistry professor until his death. Richards was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1915 (for 1914) for his precise determination of atomic masses for a large number of chemical elements. Due to the war, he was unable to attend the Nobel Prize ceremony. He delivered his Nobel lecture in Stockholm on December 6, 1919. Richards stated that his research on atomic masses was primarily inspired by a philosophical passion for understanding the fundamental nature of matter and its connection to energy. He believed that a better understanding of the behavior of matter would grant humanity greater control over life circumstances.

In his free time, Richards devoted himself to literature, music, art, drawing, golf, and sailing. His dedication to scientific research and teaching helped transform Harvard University into a leading center for higher education in chemistry.

Some of Richards' notable works include "The Relative Values of the Atomic Weights of Hydrogen and Oxygen" (1887) with J. Cooke Jr., "A Revision of the Atomic Weights of Sodium and Chlorine" (1905) with R.C. Wells, and "The Atomic Weight of Lead of Radioactive Origin" (1914).