William Hume-Rothery facts for kids

William Hume-Rothery was a British scientist who studied metals. He was a metallurgist, which means he specialized in how metals behave. He also studied materials science, which looks at how different materials are made and what they can do.

Hume-Rothery is famous for his "Hume-Rothery rules." These rules help us understand how different metals can mix together to form new materials called alloys.

Early Life and Education

William Hume-Rothery was born in Worcester Park, Surrey, in 1899. His father was a lawyer. William spent his childhood in Cheltenham. He went to Cheltenham College for his schooling.

When he was 18, a virus made him completely deaf. Even with this challenge, he went to Magdalen College, Oxford. He earned a top degree in chemistry. He also studied at the Royal School of Mines and got his PhD.

Discovering How Metals Mix

During World War II, William Hume-Rothery helped the government. He worked on important projects involving aluminium and magnesium alloys. These are special mixtures of metals used in many things, like airplanes.

After the war, he went back to University of Oxford. He wanted to research "intermetallic compounds." These are special types of alloys where metals combine in very specific ways. He stayed at Oxford for the rest of his career.

In 1938, he became a lecturer in metallurgical chemistry. His research showed that how an alloy is structured depends on several things. It depends on the size of the atoms that make up the metals. It also depends on how many "valency electrons" the atoms have. These are the electrons involved in forming chemical bonds.

His findings led to the important ideas known as the Hume-Rothery rules. These rules are like a guide for scientists. They help predict if different metals will mix well together. They also help predict what kind of alloy they will form.

In the 1950s, he started the Department of Metallurgy at the University of Oxford. Today, this department is called the Department of Materials. He was also a fellow at St Edmund Hall, Oxford. He helped create the Journal of the Less-Common Metals. This journal publishes new research about metals.

William Hume-Rothery Award

To honor his work, an award was created in his name. The William Hume-Rothery Award has been given out every year since 1974. It is awarded by The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society. This award celebrates scientists who make big contributions to understanding metals.

Awards and Special Honors

William Hume-Rothery received many honors for his work.

• In May 1937, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honor for scientists in the UK.
• In 1949, he was given the Francis J. Clamer Medal.

Personal Life

William Hume-Rothery married Elizabeth Fea in 1931. They had a daughter named Jennifer in 1934. He retired from his work in 1966. He passed away in 1968.