Ronnie Bell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ronnie Bell
FRS
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Ronald Percy Bell
© National Portrait Gallery, London |
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| Born | 24 November 1907 |
| Died | 9 January 1996 (aged 88) Kingston Nursing Home, Leeds
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| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | Balliol College, Oxford |
| Known for | Physicochemical methods |
| Awards | Gibbs Prize, Meldola Medal, Fellow of the Royal Society |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physical chemistry |
| Institutions | Balliol College, Oxford, University of Stirling |
| Doctoral students | John Albery |
Ronald Percy Bell (born November 24, 1907 – died January 9, 1996) was a very important British scientist. He was a physical chemist, which means he studied how chemicals work and react. He worked at the University of Oxford, a famous university in England. He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a big honor for scientists.
Ronald Bell's Early Life
Ronald Percy Bell was born in Maidenhead, England, on November 24, 1907. His parents, Edwin and Beatrice Bell, were both teachers. Ronald was the oldest of their children. He had a brother named Kenneth and an adopted sister named Margaret.
When he was 11, Ronald went to Maidenhead County Boys’ School. His chemistry teacher, F. Sherwood Taylor, was a big inspiration to him. After school, Ronald went to Balliol College at the University of Oxford in 1924 to study chemistry. He was a very good student and finished with top honors in 1928. Even before he graduated, he had two of his own science papers published!
Studying Abroad
In 1928, Ronald received a special scholarship from Oxford University. This allowed him to go to Copenhagen, Denmark, to work with another famous scientist named Brønsted. In 1930, he received another scholarship. This one helped him study how different chemical solutions behave.
Ronald really loved Denmark and learned to speak Danish very well. Later in his life, he even translated books from Danish. During World War II, his language skills were helpful to a special group that studied foreign research and news.
A Career in Chemistry
Ronald returned to Balliol College in Oxford in 1932. The next year, he became a special teacher there. He stayed at Balliol College until 1966. After that, he became a Professor of Chemistry at the University of Stirling in Scotland. Later, he and his wife moved to Leeds, England, where they retired.
Throughout his career, Ronald received many important awards for his work in chemistry.
- In 1936, he won the Meldola Medal and Prize.
- In 1941, he gave a special lecture for the Chemical Society.
- In 1944, he was chosen to be a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
- In 1956, he became the President of the Faraday Society, another important science group.
Ronald Bell's Family
Ronald Percy Bell married Margery Mary West on April 16, 1931, in Maidenhead. They lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, for about a year. Then, they moved back to Oxford in 1932. Their only child, a son named Michael, was born in Oxford in 1936.
Ronald Percy Bell passed away on January 9, 1996, in Leeds. His wife, Margery, died a few years later in 1999.
