Peter Atkins

Peter William Atkins ( born August 10, 1940 in Amersham) is a professor of chemistry at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Lincoln College there. He is the author of highly successful chemistry textbooks. Especially his works " Physical Chemistry " and " Inorganic Chemistry " have now become the standard chemical plants. Atkins is also the author of many popular writings, such as " molecules " and " Galileo's Finger " and " In the Realm of the elements ". Atkins as an avowed atheist has written about themes and humanistic atheism and maintained by specific lectures or discussions take place, especially about the incompatibility of science and religion - in Germany appeared such as " Creation without Creator."

Atkins studied chemistry at the University of Leicester, where he in 1964 a Ph.D. Research received via electron spin resonance spectroscopy. In 1969 he won the Royal Society of Chemistry 's Meldola Medal. Atkins taught physical chemistry at UCLA and later at Lincoln College, Oxford, where he gave lectures on quantum mechanics in 2007 until his retirement.

Atkins married the scientist Susan Greenfield 1990. The couple separated in 2003.

Works

• In the realm of the elements. A guide to the building blocks of nature. Translated from English by Peter Ripplinger. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg and Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-8274-1014-2.
• Galileo's finger. The ten great ideas of science. Translated from English by Klaus Koch man. Klett- Cotta, Stuttgart 2006, ISBN 3-608-94125-8.
• Physical Chemistry. 5th edition ( with Julio de Paula ). Translated from English by Michael Bear. Wiley- VCH, 2013, ISBN 978-3-527-33247-2.