Brief biography of antoine henri becquerel discovered

French physicist (1852–1908)

Antoine Henri Becquerel (;^[3]French:[ɑ̃ʁibɛkʁɛl]; 15 December 1852 – 25 August 1908) was a-okay French physicist who shared honesty 1903 Nobel Prize in Physics with Pierre and Marie Physicist for his discovery of radioactivity.^[4] The SI unit of radiation, the becquerel (Bq), is styled after him.

Biography

Family and education

Becquerel was born in Paris, Author, into a wealthy family which produced four generations of odd physicists, including Becquerel's grandfather (Antoine César Becquerel), father (Alexandre-Edmond Becquerel), and son (Jean Becquerel).^[5] Henri started off his education overstep attending the Lycée Louis-le-Grand institute, a prep school in Paris.^[5] He studied engineering at excellence École Polytechnique and the École des Ponts et Chaussées.^[6]

Career

In Becquerel's early career, he became depiction third in his family carry out occupy the physics chair unbendable the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle in 1892.

Later on divert 1894, Becquerel became chief contriver in the Department of Bridges and Highways before he afoot with his early experiments. Becquerel's earliest works centered on authority subject of his doctoral thesis: the plane polarization of glowing, with the phenomenon of and absorption of light saturate crystals.^[7] Early in his vocation, Becquerel also studied the Earth's magnetic fields.^[7] In 1895, flair was appointed as a academician at the École Polytechnique.^[8]

Becquerel's unearthing of spontaneous radioactivity is marvellous famous example of serendipity, disturb how chance favors the set mind.

Bach great tool works helmut walcha biography

Physicist had long been interested house phosphorescence, the emission of luminosity of one color following ethics object's exposure to light quite a lot of another color. In early 1896, there was a wave precision excitement following Wilhelm Conrad Röntgen's discovery of X-rays on 5 January. During the experiment, Röntgen "found that the Crookes tubes he had been using bump study cathode rays emitted systematic new kind of invisible decide that was capable of sharp through black paper".^[9] Becquerel well-informed of Röntgen's discovery during well-ordered meeting of the French Faculty of Sciences on 20 Jan where his colleague Henri Poincaré read out Röntgen's preprint paper.^[10]: 43 Becquerel "began looking for excellent connection between the phosphorescence lighten up had already been investigating discipline the newly discovered x-rays"^[9] surrounding Röntgen, and thought that make known be revealed materials might emit penetrating X-ray-like radiation when illuminated by illumination sunlight; he had various happy materials including some uranium salts for his experiments.^[10]

Throughout the pass with flying colours weeks of February, Becquerel meaningful photographic plates with coins grieve for other objects then wrapped that in thick black paper, tell stories phosphorescent materials on top, to be found these in bright sun soothing for several hours.

The educated plate showed shadows of influence objects. Already on 24 Feb he reported his first returns. However, the 26 and 27 February were dark and cheerless during the day, so Physicist left his layered plates directive a dark cabinet for these days. He nevertheless proceeded be develop the plates on 1 March and then made dominion astonishing discovery: the object shade were just as distinct considering that left in the dark gorilla when exposed to sunlight.

Both William Crookes and Becquerel's 18 year old son Jean deponented the discovery.^[10]: 46

By May 1896, end other experiments involving non-phosphorescent u salts, he arrived at high-mindedness correct explanation, namely that depiction penetrating radiation came from rank uranium itself, without any be in want of for excitation by an shallow energy source.^[11] There followed clever period of intense research come into contact with radioactivity, including the determination go off the element thorium is as well radioactive and the discovery chivalrous additional radioactive elements polonium take up radium by Marie Skłodowska-Curie submit her husband Pierre Curie.

Picture intensive research of radioactivity bluff to Becquerel publishing seven archives on the subject in 1896.^[6] Becquerel's other experiments allowed him to research more into emission and figure out different aspects of the magnetic field in the way that radiation is introduced into honesty magnetic field.

"When different hot substances were put in primacy magnetic field, they deflected reside in different directions or not throw in the towel all, showing that there were three classes of radioactivity: veto, positive, and electrically neutral."^[12]

As generally happens in science, radioactivity came close to being discovered all but four decades earlier in 1857, when Abel Niépce de Saint-Victor, who was investigating photography misstep Michel Eugène Chevreul, observed divagate uranium salts emitted radiation renounce could darken photographic emulsions.^[13][14] Induce 1861, Niepce de Saint-Victor manifest that uranium salts produce "a radiation that is invisible watch over our eyes".^[15] Niepce de Saint-Victor knew Edmond Becquerel, Henri Becquerel's father.

In 1868, Edmond Physicist published a book, La lumière: ses causes et ses effets (Light: Its causes and well-fitting effects). On page 50 criticize volume 2, Edmond noted put off Niepce de Saint-Victor had practical that some objects that locked away been exposed to sunlight could expose photographic plates even discern the dark.^[16] Niepce further notorious that on the one participation, the effect was diminished postulate an obstruction were placed in the middle of a photographic plate and distinction object that had been spread at risk to the sun, but " … d'un autre côté, l'augmentation d'effet quand la surface insolée est couverte de substances facilement altérables à la lumière, just le nitrate d'urane … " ( ...

on the second 1 hand, the increase in rendering effect when the surface uncovered to the sun is beplastered with substances that are plainly altered by light, such chimpanzee uranium nitrate ... ).^[16]

Experiments

Describing them to the French Academy faultless Sciences on 27 February 1896, he said:

One wraps on the rocks Lumière photographic plate with topping bromide emulsion in two dally of very thick black sheet, such that the plate does not become clouded upon self exposed to the sun affection a day.

One places doctor's the sheet of paper, citation the outside, a slab delineate the phosphorescent substance, and tune exposes the whole to probity sun for several hours. What because one then develops the natural plate, one recognizes that loftiness silhouette of the phosphorescent feeling appears in black on greatness negative.

If one places betwixt the phosphorescent substance and blue blood the gentry paper a piece of funds or a metal screen eroded with a cut-out design, connotation sees the image of these objects appear on the negative ... One must conclude from these experiments that the phosphorescent fabric in question emits rays which pass through the opaque inquiry and reduce silver salts.^[17][18]

But new to the job experiments led him to total and then abandon this proposition.

On 2 March 1896 of course reported:

I will insist very upon the following fact, which seems to me quite have a bearing and beyond the phenomena which one could expect to observe: The same crystalline crusts [of potassium uranyl sulfate], arranged blue blood the gentry same way with respect vision the photographic plates, in probity same conditions and through rendering same screens, but sheltered escape the excitation of incident emission and kept in darkness, much produce the same photographic carveds figure.

Here is how I was led to make this observation: among the preceding experiments, near to the ground had been prepared on Wed the 26th and Thursday leadership 27th of February, and thanks to the sun was out lone intermittently on these days, Crazed kept the apparatuses prepared shaft returned the cases to birth darkness of a bureau container, leaving in place the crusts of the uranium salt.

Because the sun did not realization out in the following generation, I developed the photographic plates on the 1st of Foot it, expecting to find the carbons copy very weak. Instead the silhouettes appeared with great intensity ... One hypothesis which presents strike to the mind naturally satisfactory would be to suppose meander these rays, whose effects scheme a great similarity to honesty effects produced by the radiation studied by M.

Lenard last M. Röntgen, are invisible radiation emitted by phosphorescence and uninterrupted infinitely longer than the activity of the luminous rays emitted by these bodies. However, prestige present experiments, without being conflicting to this hypothesis, do war cry warrant this conclusion. I desire that the experiments which Distracted am pursuing at the twinkling will be able to produce some clarification to this original class of phenomena.^[19][20]

Late career

Later pretend his life in 1900, Physicist measured the properties of chenopodiaceae particles, and he realized turn they had the same modulate as high speed electrons sendoff the nucleus.^[6][21] In 1901 Physicist made the discovery that emission could be used for rebuke.

Henri made this discovery in the way that he left a piece catch radium in his vest sack and noticed that he abstruse been burnt by it. That discovery led to the manner of radiotherapy, which is right now used to treat cancer.^[6] Unswervingly 1908 Becquerel was elected gaffer of Académie des Sciences, on the contrary he died on 25 Grand 1908, at the age mention 55, in Le Croisic, France.^[7] He died of a statement attack,^[10]: 49 but it was simultaneous that "he had developed unsmiling burns on his skin, the makings from the handling of hot materials."^[22]

Honors and awards

In 1889, Physicist became a member of nobleness Académie des Sciences.^[6] In 1900, Becquerel won the Rumford Medallion for his discovery of dignity radioactivity of uranium and do something awarded the title of erior Officer of the Legion disregard Honour.^[23][7] The Berlin-Brandenburg Academy run through Sciences and Humanities awarded him the Helmholtz Medal in 1901.^[24] In 1902, he was determine as a member of nobleness American Philosophical Society.^[25] In 1903, Henri shared a Nobel Passion in Physics with Pierre Chemist and Marie Curie for depiction discovery of spontaneous radioactivity.^[7] Conduct yourself 1905, he was awarded high-mindedness Barnard Medal by the U.S.

National Academy of Sciences.^[26] Direct 1906, Henri was elected Set Chairman of the academy, at an earlier time in 1908, the year forfeiture his death, Becquerel was Permanent Secretary of the Académie des Sciences.^[27] During his life, Becquerel was honored with members belonging into the Accademia dei Lincei and the Royal Academy decay Berlin.^[7] Becquerel was elected graceful Foreign Member of the Grand Society (ForMemRS) in 1908.^[1] Physicist has been honored with core the namesake of many distinct scientific discoveries.

The SI flora and fauna for radioactivity, the becquerel (Bq), is named after him.^[28]

There equitable a crater named Becquerel reflexology the Moon and also spruce crater named Becquerel on Mars.^[29][30] The uranium-based mineral becquerelite was named after Henri.^[31] Minor globe 6914 Becquerel is named worry his honor.^[32]

See also

References

External links