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Biographical Memoirs Volume 78 (2000) / Chapter Skim
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Glenn Theodore Seaborg
Pages 236-257

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From page 237...
... Atomic Energy Commission, a position he helcl until ~971. Seaborg lecl the negotiations resulting in the limitecl nuclear test ban treaty prohibiting the testing of nuclear crevices in the atmosphere or uncler the sea, approval by the U.S.
From page 238...
... 1912-1942: EARLY LIFE, EDUCATION, AND MARRIAGE Glen Theodore Seaborg was born of Swoclish ancestry in Ishpeming, Michigan, a small iron-mining town on the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. His father, Herman Theodore Seaborg, whose parents hacl come from Swollen to Ishpeming in their youth en c!
From page 239...
... Unlike in Ishpeming, where his father wouIcl have been guarantees! employment for life as a machinist in the iron works, in California his father never found permanent employment in his tracle, en cl the family finances were in rather poor condition.
From page 240...
... later, he closely followocl the clevelopments from Enrico Fermi's group in Italy, which was bombarding uranium with neutrons en cl proclucing what they thought were transuranium elements, en c! the research of Otto Hahn, Lise Meitner, and Fritz Strassmann in Berlin on these so-called transuranium elements.
From page 241...
... the first "real" transuranium element, which they chemically separated en cl iclentifiecl as element 93, for which they proposal the name neptunium. McMillan then began a search for the next heavier transuranium element (atomic number 94)
From page 242...
... 1942-1961: SEPARATION OF PLUTONIUM AND DISCOVERY OF ELEMENTS 95-102 Seaborg heaclec! the Metallurgical Laboratory chemistry group, which was responsible for devising plant processes for chemical purification of plutonium for the World War II Manhattan Project to develop an atomic bomb.
From page 243...
... when chemical separations basecl on separating elements 95 en cl 96 as trivalent homologues of the lanthanicles were successfully user! in 1944 to separate en c!
From page 244...
... by the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory on EnTwetok Atoll in the South Pacific on November I, 1952. Its huge yielcl of some 10 megatons created such an instantaneous high neutron flux that at least 17 neutrons were captured by the 238U in the crevice.
From page 245...
... Seaborg lecl the negotiations resulting in the limiter! nuclear test ban treaty prohibiting the testing of nuclear crevices in the atmosphere or uncler the sea, which was approval by the U.S.
From page 246...
... He was a strong acivocate of a comprehensive test ban treaty. As AEC chairman he continual his interest in transuranium element research en c!
From page 247...
... Junior Chamber of Commerce, election to the National AcacIemy of Sciences in 194S, American Society of Swedish Engineers' John Ericsson GoIcl Mecial in 194S, AEC's Enrico Fermi Awarcl in 1959, 1971 Nuclear Pioneer Award of the Society of Nuclear Medicine, Order of the Legion of Honor of the Republic of France, Decoration, 1973,1979 Priestley Mecial, Swoclish Council of America's Great Swoclish Heritage Awarc! in 1984, University of CaTifornia's 1986 Clark Kerr Mecial, National Science Boarcl's 1988 Vannevar Bush Award, 1991 National Mecial of Science, en cl many other major awards from the American Chemical Society, 50 honorary degrees from various universities en cl election to a clozen foreign national academies of science.
From page 248...
... Football was his favorite spectator sport en cl he likocl to point out that cluring his tenure as chancellor the Berkeley football team went to the Rose Bowl! SOME PERSONAL REMINISCENCES Glenn Seaborg hac!
From page 249...
... In ~ 978-79 I spent a sabbatical year as a Guggenheim fellow in Berkeley with his group, leaving a few months early to return to Los Alamos as leacler of the Chemistry-Nuclear Chemistry Division. I frequently returned to Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for experiments on spontaneous fission and searches for superheavy
From page 250...
... I Earned so many things from him just by observing how he ran the weekly brown bag lunches with his graduate students en cl later mine listening with great interest as they clescribecl their research progress. He asker!
From page 251...
... , the search for superheavy elements, science education, the nuclear test ban treaty, non-proliferation and the use of nuclear power, as well as hiking and sports. What a wonder
From page 252...
... One of my great regrets is that he did not live to participate in the joy of discovery of the new superheavy elements IlS, Il6, and Il4 by our Heavy Element Nuclear en c! Racliochemistry Group in May 1999 (Ninov et al.
From page 253...
... The Seaborg Center, Northern Michigan University. Available at http://seaborg.nmu.edu.
From page 254...
... 16:1. 1945 The chemical and radioactive properties of the heavy elements.
From page 255...
... Attempts to produce superheavy elements by fusion of
From page 256...
... 28:257-64. Gilbert Newton Lewis Some personal recollections of a chemical giant.


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