Donald Holroyde Hey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Donald Holroyde Hey
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| Born | 12 September 1904 |
| Died | 21 January 1987 (aged 82) |
| Nationality | British |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
Donald Holroyde Hey (born September 12, 1904 – died January 21, 1987) was an important Welsh scientist. He was an organic chemist, which means he studied chemicals that contain carbon. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS), a special honor for top scientists.
He is best known for his ideas about how certain chemicals break apart. He suggested that when a substance called benzoyl peroxide breaks down, it creates tiny, highly reactive particles called free phenyl radicals.
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Who Was Donald Hey?
Donald Holroyde Hey was born in Swansea, Wales, in 1904. From a young age, he was interested in how chemicals work. He chose to study chemistry, a field that explores what things are made of and how they change.
What is an Organic Chemist?
An organic chemist is like a detective for chemicals. They focus on compounds that contain carbon. These compounds are the building blocks of all living things, from plants to animals. Organic chemists study how to make new carbon compounds and how existing ones react. This helps us create new medicines, plastics, and many other useful materials.
His Big Idea: Free Radicals
Donald Hey's most famous work was about something called free radicals. This might sound complicated, but it's a cool idea.
What are Free Radicals?
Imagine a molecule as a group of friends holding hands. A free radical is like one of those friends suddenly letting go and having an extra hand free. This makes them very eager to grab onto another friend or molecule. They are super reactive and can cause other molecules to change.
Hey's research suggested that when benzoyl peroxide breaks down, it forms these "free phenyl radicals." This was a big deal because it helped other scientists understand how many chemical reactions happen. It showed that these tiny, reactive particles play a key role in chemistry.
His Legacy
Donald Hey's work helped advance our understanding of organic chemistry. His ideas about free radicals are still important today in many areas of science. For example, understanding free radicals helps us learn about how our bodies work and how certain diseases develop.
A picture of Donald Hey can be found in the National Portrait Gallery, London. This shows how important his contributions to science were.
