Tomas Batuecas facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Tomás Batuecas Marugán
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| Born | 7 March 1893 |
| Died | 21 October 1972 (age 78 or 79) |
| Nationality | Spanish |
| Alma mater | Complutense University of Madrid |
| Known for | Determination of atomic weights |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physical chemistry |
| Institutions | University of Santiago de Compostela |
| Doctoral advisor | Blas Cabrera Felipe |
Tomás Batuecas Marugán (born 1893, died 1972) was an important Spanish chemist. He is best known for his work on the atomic weights of different elements. Batuecas also taught chemistry and was a leader at the University of Santiago de Compostela.
Contents
A Chemist's Journey: Tomás Batuecas's Life
Tomás Batuecas finished his science studies with high honors from the University of Salamanca in 1913. That same year, he started his advanced studies (called doctoral studies) in Madrid. His teacher was Blas Cabrera Felipe.
In 1916, Batuecas went to the University of Geneva to study with Philippe A. Guye. There, he became interested in how gases behave. This included their density (how much stuff is packed into a space) and compressibility (how much they can be squished). In Geneva, he also met Enrique Moles Ormella, who became a research friend for many years.
Early Career and Research Focus
In 1917, Batuecas completed his main research paper (doctoral thesis) at the University of Madrid. After that, he went back to the University of Geneva for a short time to teach chemistry. When he returned to the Complutense University of Madrid, he kept working on how gases behave with Cabrera and Moles.
In 1932, Batuecas started working at the University of Santiago. He stayed there until he retired in 1963. In 1936, he was chosen to be the Vice-Chancellor, a high leadership position at the university.
Discovering Atomic Weights
During his career, Batuecas published more than 130 scientific papers. His main research was about finding the exact atomic weights of elements. He did this in two main ways:
- By measuring the density of gases.
- By using a technique called X-ray crystallography. This method uses X-rays to look at the tiny, repeating patterns inside crystals.
His work on atomic weights began in Geneva in 1916 with Guye. They focused on a method to measure the weights of real gases very precisely. In Madrid (1924), Batuecas also started using X-ray crystallography to figure out atomic weights.
Changing the Atomic Weight Scale
Perhaps Batuecas's most important contribution was his role in changing how atomic weights were measured worldwide. He helped make sure that the international scale for atomic weights was based on the carbon-12 nuclide. A nuclide is a specific type of atom with a certain number of protons and neutrons.
From 1960 to 1963, Batuecas was the chairman of the International Atomic Weights Commission. In 1961, at a big meeting of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) in Montreal, he played a key role. He helped set up the new, modern way of measuring atomic masses.
Recognizing His Achievements
The city of Santiago, where Batuecas lived for 40 years, gave him a special silver medal just before he passed away. A street in Santiago is named after him, and another in his hometown, showing how much he was respected.
See also
In Spanish: Tomás Batuecas Marugán para niños
