John Meurig Thomas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
John Meurig Thomas
FLSW FRS FRMS
|
|
|---|---|
Thomas in 2011
|
|
| Born | 15 December 1932 |
| Died | 13 November 2020 (aged 87) |
| Education |
|
| Awards |
|
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | |
| Thesis | The significance of structure in carbon-gas reactions (1957) |
| Doctoral advisor | Keble Sykes |
Sir John Meurig Thomas (born December 15, 1932 – died November 13, 2020) was a famous Welsh scientist. People also knew him as JMT. He was an educator, a university leader, and someone who studied the history of science.
Sir John was best known for his work in heterogeneous catalysis, which is about how chemicals react when they are in different forms (like a gas reacting with a solid). He also studied solid-state chemistry, which looks at the chemistry of solid materials, and materials science, which is about designing and discovering new materials.
He helped start the field of solid-state chemistry. He used special tools like electron microscopes to study surfaces of minerals and crystals. Later, he used powerful synchrotron radiation to study new catalysts. These catalysts help make chemical processes "greener" and cleaner for the environment.
Sir John received many awards for his work. A new mineral, called meurigite, was even named after him because of his important contributions to the study of rocks and minerals. In 1991, he was made a knight by the Queen for his work in chemistry and for making science popular.
Contents
Biography
Early Life and Education
John Meurig Thomas was born on December 15, 1932. He grew up in the Gwendraeth Valley in Carmarthenshire, Wales. This area was close to the mining town of Llanelli. His father and brother both worked as miners.
He went to the University College of Wales, Swansea, which is now Swansea University. He earned his first degree, a Bachelor of Science (BSc), in 1954.
After that, he continued his studies at Queen Mary College in London. This college is now known as Queen Mary University of London. He earned his PhD degree in 1958. His professor, Keble W. Sykes, guided him during his PhD research.
Personal Life
In 1959, John Meurig Thomas married Margaret Edwards. They had two daughters together, named Lisa and Naomi. Sadly, Margaret Thomas passed away in 2002.
Later, in April 2010, Sir John married Jehane Ragai. She was a professor at the American University in Cairo. Their weddings took place in both Cambridge and London.
Sir John enjoyed several hobbies. He liked learning about ancient civilizations and watching birds. He also enjoyed reading Welsh literature.
Early Career in Science
After finishing his studies, Sir John worked for a year at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. He was a scientific officer there from 1957 to 1958.
In September 1958, he joined the Chemistry Department at the University College of North Wales. This university is now called Bangor University. He quickly moved up the ranks there. He started as an Assistant Lecturer and became a Reader in 1965.
At Bangor, Sir John showed how tiny flaws, called dislocations, in solid materials could change their chemical and electrical properties.
In 1969, he became a Professor and Head of Chemistry at the University College of Wales, Aberystwyth. This is now Aberystwyth University. Here, he became more interested in the chemistry of solids, surfaces, and new materials. He was a pioneer in using electron microscopy in new ways for chemistry. In 1977, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very high honor for scientists.
In 1978, Sir John moved to the University of Cambridge. He became the Head of the Department of Physical Chemistry. He also became a Professor at King's College, Cambridge. He held both of these important jobs until 1986.
At Cambridge, he kept developing new ways to study solid materials and design new catalysts. Catalysts are substances that speed up chemical reactions without being used up themselves. He used methods like solid-state NMR and neutron scattering to understand materials like zeolites.
Leading the Royal Institution
In 1986, Sir John Meurig Thomas became the Director of the Royal Institution of Great Britain in London. He also held the Michael Faraday chair and directed the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory. The Royal Institution is a very old and famous place for science, founded in 1799. Great scientists like Humphry Davy and Michael Faraday worked there.
During his time at the Royal Institution, Sir John started using synchrotron radiation. This is a very powerful type of light that helps scientists see the atomic structure of catalysts while they are working. He also designed new types of catalysts that are better for the environment.
In 1987, the BBC showed Sir John's Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on crystals. These lectures are a tradition started by Michael Faraday in 1825 to teach children about science.
In 1991, Sir John published a book called Michael Faraday and the Royal Institution: The Genius of Man and Place. This book was so popular that it was translated into Japanese and Italian.
He left the Royal Institution in 1991.
Return to Cambridge
After working as Deputy Pro-Chancellor of the University of Wales for a few years, Sir John returned to Cambridge in 1993. He became the Master of Peterhouse, which is the oldest college at the university. He was the first scientist to lead Peterhouse.
In 1997, he co-wrote an important textbook called Principles and Practice of Heterogeneous Catalysis. In 1999, he was made an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. This was for his work on catalysts, especially zeolites, which led to new industrial processes.
Sir John also held about thirty patents. These patents describe his inventions that made chemical processes more environmentally friendly. For example, he invented a way to make ethyl acetate without using harmful solvents. This process is now used in the world's largest plant of its kind in the UK, producing 200,000 tons each year. He also found ways to make caprolactam (used for nylon-6) and vitamin B3 (niacin) in a single, clean step.
In 2002, Sir John stepped down as Master of Peterhouse. He became an Honorary Professor of Materials Science at Cambridge University. He also became an Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the Davy Faraday Research Laboratory. He continued his research there until 2006.
Sir John Meurig Thomas passed away on November 13, 2020, at the age of 87.
Awards and Honors
Sir John Meurig Thomas received many awards and honors throughout his life. He held an Honorary Distinguished Professorship at Cardiff University. He was also an Advisory Professor at universities in China and Japan.
He received twenty-three honorary degrees from universities around the world. These included degrees from universities in Australia, Britain, Canada, China, France, Italy, Japan, and the United States. He was also elected as an honorary member of more than fifteen foreign science academies. These included the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.
Some of his other major awards included:
- The Kapitza Gold Medal (2011)
- The Sir George Stokes Medal (2005)
- The Giulio Natta Gold Medal (2004)
- The Linus Pauling Gold Medal (2003)
- The Davy Medal from the Royal Society (1989)
- The Faraday Lectureship Prize (1989)
- The Willard Gibbs Award (1995), making him the first British scientist in 80 years to receive it.
In 1995, a new mineral was named meurigite in his honor. This was because of his important work in geochemistry, which is the study of the chemistry of the Earth. Meurigite is a yellowish-white mineral found in only a few places, like the Santa Rita mine in New Mexico.
In 2003, he was the first scientist to receive the Medal of the Honourable Society of Cymmrodorion. This award recognized his contributions to Welsh culture and British public life. He was also a founding member of the Learned Society of Wales.
In 2016, the Royal Society gave Sir John the Royal Medal for Physical Sciences. This award recognized his pioneering work in catalytic chemistry, especially with single-site catalysts. His work had a big impact on "green chemistry," which focuses on making chemical processes safer and more sustainable.
Also in 2016, the UK Catalysis Hub created a new award called the JMT Medal. This medal honors Sir John Meurig Thomas's achievements and is given each year to a scientist in the UK for outstanding work in catalysis.
Selected Books
Sir John Meurig Thomas wrote more than 1200 scientific articles and several books. Some of his notable books include:
- Introduction to the Principles of Heterogeneous Catalysis (1967)
- Michael Faraday and the Royal Institution: The Genius of Man and Place (1991)
- Principles and Practice of Heterogeneous Catalysis (with W. John Thomas, 1997, 2014)
- 4D Electron Microscopy: Imaging in Space and Time (with Ahmed H. Zewail, 2009)
- Design and Applications of Single-Site Heterogeneous Catalysts: Contributions to Green Chemistry, Clean Technology and Sustainability (2012)
- Architects of Structural Biology: Bragg, Perutz, Kendrew, Hodgkin (2020)
Images for kids
-
Yellowish-white hairy meurigite on brown ruifrancoite spheres
See also
In Spanish: John Meurig Thomas para niños
