Scientist. He was the co-discoverer of deuterium with Harold Urey and George Murphy. After Urey proposed the existence of deuterium in the late 1920s, he enlisted the aid of National Bureau of Standards scientist Brickwedde to isolate samples rich in deuterium by fractional distillation. This effort succeeded in 1932, the spectral data from which indicated the presence of the isotope, confirming its existence. Urey received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 for this discovery. Brickwedde was educated at Johns Hopkins University, receiving his B.A. in 1922, M.A. in 1924 and Ph.D. in 1925. He worked at the National Bureau of Standards from 1925 to 1956, and was named the Dean of the College of Chemistry and Physics at Penn State in 1956. In 1963 he retired as Dean and was named Evan Pugh Professor of Physics, which post (as Emeritus Professor from 1968) he held until his death.
Scientist. He was the co-discoverer of deuterium with Harold Urey and George Murphy. After Urey proposed the existence of deuterium in the late 1920s, he enlisted the aid of National Bureau of Standards scientist Brickwedde to isolate samples rich in deuterium by fractional distillation. This effort succeeded in 1932, the spectral data from which indicated the presence of the isotope, confirming its existence. Urey received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934 for this discovery. Brickwedde was educated at Johns Hopkins University, receiving his B.A. in 1922, M.A. in 1924 and Ph.D. in 1925. He worked at the National Bureau of Standards from 1925 to 1956, and was named the Dean of the College of Chemistry and Physics at Penn State in 1956. In 1963 he retired as Dean and was named Evan Pugh Professor of Physics, which post (as Emeritus Professor from 1968) he held until his death.
Bio by: Kenneth Gilbert
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