Walter Noel Hartley facts for kids
Sir Walter Noel Hartley (born 1845 – died 1913) was an important British chemist. He was a pioneer in a field called spectroscopy, which is the study of how light interacts with different substances. He was the first scientist to connect the wavelengths of light given off by elements to their places on the periodic table in 1883. He also studied how the structure of many different organic compounds affected their light patterns. In 1881, he suggested that ozone was present in the Earth's atmosphere.
Early Life and Education
Walter Noel Hartley was born in Lichfield, Staffordshire, England, on February 3, 1847. His father, Thomas Hartley, was a portrait painter. Walter studied science at Edinburgh University in Scotland and also in Marburg, Germany.
Career and Achievements
From 1871 to 1879, Hartley taught Chemistry at King's College London. After that, he became a professor at the Royal College of Science for Ireland in Dublin. He stayed in this important role until he retired in 1911.
His scientific work was highly respected. In 1877, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, which is a group of leading experts. In 1884, he also became a Fellow of the Royal Society, another very prestigious scientific organization. He received an honorary doctorate (a special university degree) from the Royal University of Ireland in 1901.
After he retired in 1911, he was knighted, which means he received the title "Sir" for his great contributions.
Key Scientific Work
Sir Walter Hartley wrote several books, including 'Air and its Relations to Life' (1876), 'Water, Air and Disinfectants' (1877), and 'Quantitative Analysis' (1887).
He received several awards for his research:
- In 1904, he won a gold medal at the 1904 St Louis Exposition for his scientific use of photography.
- In 1906, he was awarded the Longstaff Medal by the Chemical Society for his work in spectro-chemistry.
- In 1908, he won the Grand Prix for his spectrographic research at the Franco-British Exhibition.
He also served as the president of the Chemistry section of the British Association from 1903 to 1904.
Personal Life
In 1882, Walter Hartley married Mary Laffan, who was a novelist. They had one son named John. Sadly, John died while serving in the British Army during the First World War in 1915 at Gallipoli.
Sir Walter Noel Hartley passed away on September 11, 1913, in Braemar.
