HIST 15 |
| Most chemists are aware of the dynamic historical interplay between the evolution of spectroscopic theory and the development of quantum theory in the early part of the twentieth century. Beginning with Bohr's 1913 planetary model of the atom, spectra provided the ultimate proving ground for new ideas in quantum theory, culminating in the matrix / wave mechanics revolution of the mid-1920's. Two pivotal monographs provide snapshots of the state of theoretical development in spectroscopy as old quantum theory evolved into quantum mechanics. The first is Arnold Sommerfeld's 1919 Atombau und Spektrallinien (English edition, 1923), a masterful exposition of the modified Bohr model, or old quantum theory, at its zenith. The second is that of Ruark and Urey (Atoms, Molecules and Quanta, 1930), which incorporated results from the new wave mechanics and signaled the arrival of an enormously successful era in spectroscopy. This presentation will compare and contrast these treatments. |
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Classic Chemistry Books of the Twentieth Century: Spectroscopy
8:50 AM-11:55 AM, Monday, August 20, 2007 Seaport -- Plaza C, Oral
Division of the History of Chemistry |