Alfred Ubbelohde facts for kids

Alfred René Jean Paul Ubbelohde (1907–1988) was a famous scientist. He was a physical chemist. He was born in Belgium but became British. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).

Biography

Early Life and Education

Alfred Ubbelohde, often called Paul, was born in Antwerp, Belgium. This was on December 14, 1907. His father was a merchant. When World War I started, his family moved to England. Soon after, Paul got polio. This made him stoop and left his right arm paralyzed. He became a British citizen in his mid-twenties.

Paul went to Colet Court school in London starting in 1920. Then he attended St Paul’s. He loved chemistry, math, and English literature. He chose to study chemistry. He won a scholarship to Christ Church, Oxford. He graduated with top honors in 1930.

He stayed at Oxford for five more years. He did research at the Clarendon with Sir Alfred Egerton. They studied how hydrogen is absorbed by palladium. They also looked at how hydrocarbons burn. In 1931-1932, Paul spent a year in Germany. He worked in a lab in Göttingen. There, he learned a lot about glass-blowing.

War Work and Research

In 1936, Paul Ubbelohde received a special award. It was the Dewar Fellowship of the Royal Institution (RI). Sir William Bragg was in charge there. Paul met many smart scientists at the RI. He felt this time was very important for his science career.

When World War II began, the Royal Arsenal was in danger. So, its research moved to University College, Swansea. Paul joined this group in June 1940. He was a main officer. He led a team studying explosions.

After the war ended in 1945, Paul's war work finished. He became a Chemistry Professor at Queen's University Belfast. He built a strong physical chemistry department there. His research included how liquids flow and how gases burn. He also studied how certain materials interact with graphite.

Later Career and Interests

In 1954, Ubbelohde moved from Belfast. He became a Professor of Thermodynamics at Imperial College London. Many of his junior colleagues and students came with him. In 1961, he became the Head of the Department. He held this job until he retired in 1975. At Imperial College, his research covered many topics. These included carbon, graphite, and how things explode.

Paul Ubbelohde was a very private person. But he had many interests. He knew a lot about old things. He collected many Chinese ceramics. He was also an expert on wine. He often talked about how good pigs were. He was a salmon fisherman and loved farming. People remembered him as a very wise and knowledgeable man.

Awards and Honours

Paul Ubbelohde received many awards and honors:

• The Dewar Fellowship of the Royal Institution in 1936
• A DSc degree from Oxford University in 1941
• Fellow of the Royal Institute of Chemistry (FRIC) in 1946
• Fellow of the Royal Society in 1951
• Fellow of the Institute of Physics (FInstP) in 1957
• Appointed CBE in 1961
• Academician of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences in 1968
• The Alfred C. Egerton Gold Medal in 1970
• The Messel Medal in 1972
• An honorary DSc from Queen’s University Belfast in 1972
• The George Skakel Memorial Award in 1975
• The Paul Lebeau Gold Medal in 1975
• Honorary Degrees from universities in Padua, Nancy, and Brussels
• Honorary Fellow of the City and Guilds Institute
• Freeman of the City of London

Memorial Service

A special service was held for Professor Paul Ubbelohde. It took place at the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Farm Street. This was on May 24, 1988. A message from Pope John Paul II was read. For several years, a message remembering him was published in The Times on his birthday.

Many important guests attended the service.