Ralph Walter Graystone Wyckoff facts for kids

Ralph Walter Graystone Wyckoff (born August 9, 1897, in Geneva, New York; died November 3, 1994, in Tucson, Arizona) was an important American scientist. He was a pioneer in a field called X-ray crystallography. This is a way to study the tiny structures of crystals. His amazing work led him to become a member of the National Academy of Sciences and a foreign member of the Royal Society.

About Ralph Wyckoff

Ralph Wyckoff was the son of a judge, Abram Ralph Wyckoff. His mother was Ethel Agnes Catchpole. He went to Hobart College and earned a science degree in 1916. He then continued his studies at Cornell University. There, he earned his Ph.D. in 1919.

Even at 19 years old, in 1916, he published his first science paper. He would go on to publish over 400 papers in his lifetime. For his Ph.D., he studied crystal structures using X-rays. His work helped us understand how atoms are arranged in materials.

Understanding Crystals

Wyckoff spent a lot of time working with X-ray crystallography. This method uses X-rays to figure out the exact arrangement of atoms in a crystal. He wrote several books about this topic.

One of his important books was The Analytical Expression of the Results of the Theory of Space Groups, published in 1922. This book had special tables. These tables showed the possible positions of atoms within different crystal structures. These positions are now called Wyckoff positions in his honor. His book was a very early version of what became the International Tables for X-ray Crystallography. These tables are still used by scientists today.

Working with Viruses and Vaccines

In 1927, Wyckoff moved to the Rockefeller University. At that time, it was called The Rockefeller Institute for Medical Research. Here, he started studying tiny living things like bacteria and especially viruses. He used special ultraviolet light to photograph living cells as they grew. He also figured out the structure of urea, a chemical found in living things.

He left Rockefeller in 1937. After that, he worked for private companies. He helped create a vaccine against the Western equine encephalitis virus. This virus can cause a serious brain infection. During World War II, he also helped develop a vaccine for epidemic typhus. This was a disease that affected many people during the war.

New Science Techniques

In 1943, Wyckoff moved to Michigan. He worked at the University of Michigan and for the state's health department. While there, he invented a new way to take 3D pictures of bacteria. He used an electron microscope and a method called "metal shadowing." This technique made it easier to see the shapes of tiny bacteria. Another scientist, Robley C. Williams, worked with him on this invention.

From 1946 to 1952, he researched large molecules, called macromolecules, and viruses. He did this at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland. In 1948, he helped start the International Union of Crystallography. This is a group that brings together scientists who study crystals from all over the world.

In 1959, he became a professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson. He taught microbiology and physics. He worked there until he was 80 years old.

Family Life

Ralph Wyckoff was married twice. From his first marriage, he had a son named Ralph W.G. Wyckoff, Jr. His second marriage brought him three daughters.