John Lennard-Jones
John Lennard-Jones | |
|---|---|
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| Born | John Edward Jones 27 October 1894 Leigh, Lancashire,England |
| Died | 1 November 1954(aged 60) Stoke-on-Trent,England |
| Alma mater | University of Manchester Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Lennard-Jones potential LCAO |
| Spouse |
Kathleen Lennard (m.1925) |
| Children | 2 |
| Awards |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Mathematician |
| Institutions | |
| Doctoral advisor | Ralph Howard Fowler[3] |
| Doctoral students | |
Sir John Edward Lennard-JonesKBE,FRS[1](27 October 1894 – 1 November 1954) was a Britishmathematicianand professor of theoretical physics at theUniversity of Bristol,and then oftheoretical scienceat theUniversity of Cambridge.He was an important pioneer in the development of moderncomputational chemistryandtheoretical chemistry.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12]
Early life and education
[edit]Lennard-Jones was born John Edward Jones on 27 October 1894 atLeigh,Lancashire, the eldest son of Mary Ellen and Hugh Jones, an insurance agent. He was educated at Leigh Grammar School, going on to study at theUniversity of Manchester,graduating in 1915 with a first-class honours degree in mathematics.[13]Following service with theRoyal Flying CorpsduringWorld War I,where he trained as a pilot, he studied for a Doctorate of Science (DSc) degree in Mathematics at Manchester, graduating in 1922. On the advice ofSydney Chapman,he then successfully applied for a Senior 1851 Exhibition atTrinity College, Cambridge,where he was supervised byRalph H. Fowlerand graduated with a second doctorate in 1924.
Career
[edit]Lennard-Jones is well known among scientists for his work onmolecular structure,valencyandintermolecular forces.Much research of these topics over several decades grew from a paper he published in 1929.[6]His theories ofliquidsand ofsurfacecatalysisalso remain influential. He wrote few, albeit influential, papers.
His main interest was ofatomicand molecular structure, especially the forces between atomic particles, the nature ofchemical bondsand such basic matters as whywaterexpands when it freezes. Holding the first Chair of Theoretical Chemistry in theUnited Kingdom(at theUniversity of Cambridge), he established a research school applying to phenomena inphysicsandorganic chemistrynew concepts ofquantum mechanicsand the interactions of subatomic particles. The department attracted many notable scientists and mathematicians, includingS.F. Boys,C.A. Coulson,G.G. Hall,A. Hurley, andJ. Pople.
Atoms of anoble gasinteract via a potential in which an attractingvan der Waals forcebalances a repelling force which results from overlappingelectronorbits. A well-known approximation to this potential is the so-calledLennard-Jones potential,[14][15]a description of the potential energy as a function of the separation of the atoms. Also named after him, the Lennard-Jones Laboratory houses the School of Chemistry and Physics atKeele University.TheRoyal Society of Chemistryawards a Lennard-Jones Medal[16]and hosts the Lennard-Jones lecture every second year.
Keele University holds a collection of Lennard-Jones's published work, as well as a laboratory named in his honour. Professor C.A. Coulson's collected lecture notes from 1928 to 1932, held inCambridge University Library,record Lennard-Jones' lectures. Coulson wrote 'I suspect that these are the first lectures ontheoretical chemistry(or perhaps more accuratelyquantum chemistry) that had been given in Britain'. Lennard-Jones's private papers are held atChurchill Archives Centre,in Cambridge.[17]
On 26 August 1925 he married Kathleen Mary Lennard, and added her surname to his own to become Lennard-Jones. The couple had two children, John and Mary. He died of cancer atStoke-on-Trenton 1 November 1954.[13]
Summary of key biographical dates
[edit]- 1894 Born inLeigh,Lancashire,as John Edward Jones, and educated at Leigh Grammar School where he specialised inclassics.
- 1912 Studiedmathematicsas anundergraduateat theUniversity of Manchester
- 1915–18First World Warservice in theRoyal Flying Corps
- 1919–22 Studies for Doctor of Science degree and lectures in Mathematics at Manchester University.
- 1922 Receives Doctor of Science degree at Manchester
- 1922–4 Research student with a Senior 1851 Exhibition atTrinity College, Cambridge,supervised byRalph H. Fowler.Sydney Chapman, thenProfessorof Mathematics at Manchester, had been a lecturer at Trinity in 1914, and advised Jones to apply there.
- 1924 Receives Doctor of Science degree at Cambridge. Proposes a semi-empiricalinteratomic forcelaw.
- 1925 Marries Kathleen Lennard, adding his wife's surname to his own to become Lennard-Jones.
- 1925–32 Professor of Theoretical Physics,University of Bristol
- 1929 Paper[6]introduces theLinear Combination of Atomic Orbitalsapproximation formolecular orbitals
- 1929 Brings to BristolGerhard Herzberg(1971Nobel Laureate for chemistry) to studyspectraofdi-&poly-atomicmolecules.
- 1930–2 Dean of the Faculty of Science, University of Bristol
- 1931 Paper[7]introduces method for the atomicSelf-Consistent Field(SCF) equations. Proposes theLennard-Jones potential.
- 1932–53John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Theoretical Chemistry,University of Cambridge.Founded the theoretical chemistry section of Cambridge University Chemical Laboratory.
- 1934 Paper[8]appliesgroup theoryto explain energies & structures ofhydrocarbonfree radicals
- 1933 Elected a fellow of theRoyal Society[1]
- 1934 Graduate student Charles Coulson (in 1972University of Oxford's first Professor of Theoretical Chemistry) completes PhD
- 1937 Paper[18]on conjugated hydrocarbons
- 1937 First Director ofUniversity of Cambridge Mathematical Laboratory(now theDepartment of Computer Science and Technology) withMaurice Wilkesas researcher.
- 1939 At outbreak of war, seconded as Chief Superintendent of Armament Research to the Ministry of Supply which took over the mathematical laboratory forballisticscalculations, developed a team of mathematicians for this purpose.
- 1942–5 Director-General of Scientific Research (Defence), Ministry of Supply
- 1942–7 Member of the Advisory Council of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.
- 1946 Knighted (KBE), returns to Cambridge
- 1947–53 Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Council at the Ministry of Supply
- 1948–50 President of theFaraday Society
- 1949 Paper[9]justifies use of diatomicorbitalsonly forvalenceelectronsby showing the determinantalwave functionto be invariant under unitary transformations that could accurately transform molecular orbitals into localized equivalent orbitals.
- 1950 Paper[10]completely defines molecular orbitals aseigenfunctionsof the SCFHamiltonian
- 1951 Graduate studentJohn Pople(1998Nobel Laureate for chemistry) completes PhD
- 1953 Awarded Royal Society'sDavy Medalfor work applying quantum mechanics to the theory of valency and analysis of the structure of chemical compounds
- 1953 SucceedsAlexander Lindsayas Principal of the University College of North Staffordshire (nowKeele University). Corresponds withLinus Paulingabout the need in England for more universities and institutes of technology.
- 1954 Honorary doctorate of science, theUniversity of Oxford;dies inStoke-on-Trent,aged 60.
Awards and honours
[edit]The Lennard-Jones Centre[19]at the University of Cambridge is named in his honour.
The school of chemistry/medicinal chemistry and physics at Keele university is named after him.
References
[edit]
- ^abcMott, N. F.(1955)."John Edward Lennard-Jones 1894–1954".Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society.1:174–184.doi:10.1098/rsbm.1955.0013.
- ^Mehra, Jagdish;Rechenberg, Helmut(2001).The Historical Development of Quantum Theory: Fundamental Equations of Quantum Mechanics and the Reception of the New Quantum Mechanics.Springer. p. 58.ISBN978-0-387-95178-2.
- ^abcJohn Lennard-Jonesat theMathematics Genealogy Project
- ^Jones, J. E. (1924)."On the Determination of Molecular Fields. I. From the Variation of the Viscosity of a Gas with Temperature".Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.106(738): 441–462.Bibcode:1924RSPSA.106..441J.doi:10.1098/rspa.1924.0081.
- ^Jones, J. E. (1924)."On the Determination of Molecular Fields. II. From the Equation of State of a Gas".Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.106(738): 463–477.Bibcode:1924RSPSA.106..463J.doi:10.1098/rspa.1924.0082.
- ^abcLennard-Jones, J. E. (1929). "The electronic structure of some diatomic molecules".Transactions of the Faraday Society.25:668–686.Bibcode:1929FaTr...25..668L.doi:10.1039/TF9292500668.
- ^abLennard-Jones, J. E. (1931). "Wave Functions of Many-Electron Atoms".Mathematical Proceedings of the Cambridge Philosophical Society.27(3): 469–480.Bibcode:1931PCPS...27..469L.doi:10.1017/S0305004100010057.S2CID123262522.
- ^abLennard-Jones, J. E. (1934). "The electronic structure and the interaction of some simple radicals".Transactions of the Faraday Society.30:70–148.doi:10.1039/TF9343000070.
- ^abLennard-Jones, J. (1949)."The Molecular Orbital Theory of Chemical Valency. I. The Determination of Molecular Orbitals".Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.198(1052): 1–13.Bibcode:1949RSPSA.198....1L.doi:10.1098/rspa.1949.0083.
- ^abHall, G. G.; Lennard-Jones, J. (1950). "The Molecular Orbital Theory of Chemical Valency. III. Properties of Molecular Orbitals".Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.202(1069): 155.Bibcode:1950RSPSA.202..155H.doi:10.1098/rspa.1950.0091.S2CID97300916.
- ^Portraits of John Lennard-Jonesat theNational Portrait Gallery, London
- ^""The Lennard-Jones paper of 1929 and the foundations of Molecular Orbital Theory" by George G. Hall, Adv. Quant. Chem. 1991, 22, 1 ".www.quantum-chemistry-history.com.
- ^abMatthew, H. C. G.; Harrison, B., eds. (23 September 2004)."The Oxford Dictionary of National Biography".Oxford Dictionary of National Biography(online ed.). Oxford University Press. pp. ref:odnb/34496.doi:10.1093/ref:odnb/34496.(Subscription orUK public library membershiprequired.)
- ^Fischer, Johann; Wendland, Martin (October 2023)."On the history of key empirical intermolecular potentials".Fluid Phase Equilibria.573:113876.Bibcode:2023FlPEq.57313876F.doi:10.1016/j.fluid.2023.113876.ISSN0378-3812.
- ^Lenhard, Johannes; Stephan, Simon; Hasse, Hans (June 2024)."On the History of the Lennard-Jones Potential".Annalen der Physik.536(6).doi:10.1002/andp.202400115.ISSN0003-3804.
- ^"Statistical Mechanics & Thermodynamics Group".
- ^"The Papers of Sir John Edward Lennard-Jones | ArchiveSearch".archivesearch.lib.cam.ac.uk.Retrieved18 October2021.
- ^Lennard-Jones, J. E. (1937)."The Electronic Structure of Some Polyenes and Aromatic Molecules. I. The Nature of the Links by the Method of Molecular Orbitals".Proceedings of the Royal Society A: Mathematical, Physical and Engineering Sciences.158(894): 280–296.Bibcode:1937RSPSA.158..280L.doi:10.1098/rspa.1937.0020.
- ^"The Lennard-Jones Centre – Lennard-Jones Centre".ljc.group.cam.ac.uk.
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- 1894 births
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- British physicists
- 20th-century English mathematicians
- Theoretical chemists
- Royal Flying Corps officers
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- Alumni of Trinity College, Cambridge
- Academics of the University of Bristol
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- People from Leigh, Greater Manchester
- British Army personnel of World War I
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