George Kessler Fraenkel
George Kessler Fraenkel (born July 27, 1921 in Deal , New Jersey ; died June 10, 2009 in Manhattan ) was an American chemist. He was one of the first scientists to use electronic techniques to elucidate the structure of molecules by determining electron spin resonances .
Life
George Fraenkel was born in Deal, New Jersey, and grew up in Scarsdale , New York . He was one of three children of Osmond and Helene Esberg Fraenkel. His father was the head of the legal department (general counsel) of the American Civil Liberties Union .
He studied at Harvard University until 1942 , but interrupted his studies when he was recruited by the National Defense Research Committee to develop a team that developed measuring instruments to measure the explosive power of bombs. After the Second World War, he enrolled at Cornell University and received his doctorate there in 1949 under Peter Debye with the thesis The viscosity and shear elasticity of solutions of simple deformable particles . He then went to Columbia University as a lecturer . From 1965 to 1968 he headed the chemistry department in Columbia, after which he was dean of the Columbia Graduate School of Arts and Sciences until 1983. From 1983 to 1986 he was vice president for special assignments and then went back to the chemistry department. In 1991 he retired.
In 1962 he became a Fellow of the American Physical Society .
plant
After his appointment as a professor of chemistry in the early 1950s, Fraenkel was one of the few chemists who were involved in the development of highly sensitive, high-resolution spectrometers that could determine the spin of electrons . He thus laid the foundation for the techniques for determining electron spin resonance as basic techniques in chemical research. With the help of these techniques it was possible to elucidate the structure of molecules and the movement of molecules in liquids.
Essential results of chemical, biological, technical and medical research are based on the investigations of Fraenkel, including for example the elucidation of protein structures, the observation of virus particles and proteins, methods of medical imaging, the elucidation of the memory function and the development of quantum computers .
supporting documents
- Dennis Hevesi: George K. Fraenkel, Pioneering Chemist, Dies at 87 . Obituary in The New York Times , June 27, 2009.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Life data, publications and academic family tree of George K. Fraenkel at academictree.org, accessed on February 6, 2018.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Fraenkel, George Kessler |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American chemist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 27, 1921 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Deal , New Jersey |
| DATE OF DEATH | June 10, 2009 |
| Place of death | Manhattan |