H. E. Watson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
17 May 1886
University of Berlin
University of Geneva
Trinity College, Cambridge
H. E. Watson FRIC FIChemE | |
|---|---|
| Born | Herbert Edmeston Watson 17 May 1886 Kew, UK |
| Died | 24 September 1980 (aged 94) Woking, UK |
| Alma mater | University College London University of Berlin University of Geneva Trinity College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Chemistry |
| Spouse | Kathleen Rowson |
| Children | 2 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry Chemical Engineering |
| Institutions | University College London Indian Institute of Science |
Herbert Edmeston Watson (17 May 1886 - 24 September 1980) was Ramsay Memorial Professor of Chemical Engineering at University College London and the inventor of the low voltage neon glow lamp.[1][2]
Watson attended Marlborough School. He completed a Bachelor of Science in chemistry at University College London in 1908 under the tutorship of Sir William Ramsay.[3] In Watson's notes from Ramsay Intermediate Lectures in 1904-05 he said of Ramsay:[4]
No mere notes however convey the fascination of the course or the method of its delivery; still less can they describe the innumerable experiments, ranging from the isolation of argon from the air, to the vocal effects of hydrogen when inhaled, which accompanied it. Practically every laboratory preparation described was carried out on the lecture bench, and a sample of every substance mentioned was to be seen. Any unusual properties were demonstrated.
While under Ramsay, Watson worked with him on "The refraction and dispersion of neon",[5] while Ramsay presented Watson's work "The spectrum of the lighter constituents of the air" to the Royal Society in 1908,[6] and "The spectrum of radium emanation" to the Royal Society in 1909.[7] Also while at UCL, Watson modified Chick's Law, the relationship between the kill efficiency of organisms and contact time with a disinfectant, that had been created by Harriette Chick,[8] by including the coefficient of specific lethality.[9] The 1908 amendment is known as The Chick-Watson Equation.
Watson studied for his Doctor of Science at several institutions. In 1909 he studied at the University of Berlin under Walter Nernst. During 1910 he was at the University of Geneva under Philippe-Auguste Guye, completing his studies at the Trinity College, Cambridge under Joseph John Thomson in 1911.[3] During this time he was awarded the 1851 Exhibition Scholarship.[10] At Cambridge, he created the first low voltage neon glow lamp which worked at 180 V.[1][2] Thomson presented the work of Watson and Francis William Aston to the Royal Academy in 1912,[10] and Watson' s work on "Some experiments on the electrical discharge in helium and neon" to the Cambridge Philosophical Society.[11] He graduated from his Doctor of Science at University College London in 1912.[12]