Harry Julius Emeléus facts for kids

Harry Julius Emeléus (born June 22, 1903 – died December 2, 1993) was a very important English scientist. He was an inorganic chemist, which means he studied chemicals that don't usually come from living things. He also taught chemistry as a professor at Cambridge University. He received special honors like the CBE and was a FRS.

His Early Life and Education

Harry Emeléus was born in Poplar, London, England, on June 22, 1903. His father, Karl Henry Emeléus, was a pharmacist from Vaasa, Finland. Soon after Harry was born, his family moved to Battle, Sussex.

Harry had an older brother, Karl George Emeléus. Karl also became a professor, but he taught physics at the Queen's University of Belfast.

Harry went to school at St Leonards Collegiate School and Hastings Grammar School. Then, he studied at the Royal College of Science, which is part of Imperial College, London. He finished his first degree in 1923.

He continued his studies and earned his PhD in 1926. Three years later, he received another advanced degree called a DSc. During these years, he also studied in Germany at the University of Karlsruhe and in the United States at Princeton University. Many famous chemists, like Norman Greenwood and F. Gordon A. Stone, were his students or worked with him.

What He Did in Chemistry

Harry Emeléus was a leader in the world of chemistry. He was the president of the inorganic chemistry part of a big international group called the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry from 1955 to 1960.

He also led two important chemistry organizations in the UK. He was the president of the Chemical Society from 1958 to 1960. Later, he was the president of the Royal Institute of Chemistry from 1963 to 1965.

Important Awards He Won

Harry Emeléus received many awards for his work in chemistry. These awards showed how much his discoveries helped science. Some of his notable awards include:

• Edward Harrison Memorial Prize (1932)
• Tilden Lecture to the Chemical Society (1942)
• He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1946. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
• Liversidge Award (1954)
• Alfred Stock Memorial Prize and medal from a German chemistry society (1954)
• He was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 1958. This is an honor given by the British monarch.
• Davy Medal from the Royal Society (1962)
• Henri Moissan prize for fluorine chemistry (1991)
• Lavoisier Medal from the French Chemical Society (1991)

His Later Years

Harry Emeléus passed away on December 2, 1993. He died from heart failure at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. His wife had passed away in 1991, and he was survived by his four children.