James Walker (chemist)

Sir James Walker, FRS ( born April 6, 1863 in Dundee, Scotland, † May 6, 1935 ) was a British chemist in the field of physical chemistry.

Life

Walker was first in the flax fiber and jute industry operates, before he took up the study of natural science at the University of Edinburgh and this in 1885 and graduated with a Bachelor of Science (BS ). After that, he was the first from 1887 to 1889 Assistant Professor Adolf von Baeyer at the Ludwig- Maximilians- University of Munich and subsequently by Professor Wilhelm Ostwald at Leipzig University. 1892 returned for a short time as an assistant back to the University of Edinburgh, but was soon afterwards assistant to William Ramsay at University College London.

In 1894, he finally accepted the offer of a professorship of chemistry at University College, Dundee, and taught there until 1908. Subsequently, he returned to his alma mater and was 1908-1928 Professor of Chemistry at the University of Edinburgh.

During his teaching and research activities, he has been dealing with the physical chemistry of aqueous solutions. In 1895 he led a groundbreaking study on kinetics and reaction mechanism for the conversion of ammonium cyanate into urea, a topic to which he devoted himself many more times later.

His 1899 published textbook Introduction to Physical Chemistry and became a standard reference work in this field was ultimately up to the fact that he was a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1900.

During World War II, he was responsible for organizing the production of trinitrotoluene ( TNT) in Edinburgh and after the war was 1921-1923 President of the Chemical Society. Also in 1921 he was knighted ( Knight) and henceforth led the noble title "Sir".

Walker was eventually awarded the highest British award for scientists in the field of chemistry in 1926 for his work in the field of the theory of ionization of the Davy Medal of the Royal Society.

Source

• Chambers Biographical Dictionary, Edinburgh 2002, ISBN 0-550-10051-2, p 1564