David Chapman (chemist) facts for kids

David Leonard Chapman (born December 6, 1869 – died January 17, 1958) was an English physical chemist. He was known for his important ideas in chemistry. These include the Chapman-Jouguet treatment, which helps explain how explosions happen in gases. He also helped describe the Gouy-Chapman layer, which is about how charged particles arrange themselves on a surface.

Chapman was a fellow at Jesus College, Oxford for 37 years. He was in charge of the college's last laboratory at the University of Oxford.

Early Life and School

David Chapman was born in Wells, Norfolk, a town in England. Later, his family moved to Manchester. There, he went to Manchester Grammar School.

After school, he went to Christ Church, Oxford University. He studied chemistry and got a top degree in 1893. The next year, he also got a degree in physics.

About His Life

Chapman was known for being very focused on his science. People said he was a bit of a "science hermit" because he spent so much time in his lab. However, he still took part in university and college activities.

Outside of his work, he was a quiet person. He enjoyed playing golf, riding his bicycle, and going for walks. In 1918, he married one of his students, Muriel Holmes. They had a daughter named Ruth. David Chapman died in 1958 from cancer at his home in Oxford.

His Career

Before working at universities, Chapman was a science teacher at Giggleswick School. Later, he joined the staff at the University of Manchester.

In 1907, Jesus College, Oxford asked him to be a fellow. He became a tutor and was put in charge of their new teaching and research laboratory. Chapman managed this lab until he retired in 1944. This lab was the last one run by a college at Oxford University, and it closed in 1947. Chapman also served as the vice-principal of the college from 1926 to 1944.

His Discoveries

Even though Chapman cared about his students, his main focus was always on research. He was very interested in how light affects chemical reactions, especially with hydrogen and chlorine gases. He found that even tiny amounts of impurities could cause big, unexpected changes in these reactions.

In 1913, he suggested the idea of the steady state hypothesis. This idea helps scientists understand how chemical reactions happen step-by-step. In 1926, he used a special method with a spinning light blocker. This helped him measure how long a very short-lived chemical part (called a 'reaction intermediate') existed.

Chapman also studied how explosions happen in gases. In 1899, he wrote an important paper with accurate calculations about how fast these explosions travel. This theory is still known as the Chapman-Jouguet treatment. He also worked on how charged particles (ions) spread out on a charged surface. The layer of these particles is now called the Gouy-Chapman layer.

See also

• Detonation
• Poisson–Boltzmann equation