Gregory Robert Choppin
Gregory Robert Choppin (November 9, 1927, Texas, United States[1] – October 21, 2015, Tallahassee, Florida)[2] was an American nuclear chemist and co-discoverer of the element mendelevium, atomic number 101.[3] Others in the discovery group were Albert Ghiorso, Bernard G. Harvey, Stanley G. Thompson, and Glenn T. Seaborg.[4] The element was named in honor of Dmitri Mendeleev.[5]
Choppin received a Bachelor of Science degree at Loyola University New Orleans and earned his doctorate at the University of Texas in 1953.[1] He then worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, from 1953 to 1956.
While at Berkeley he co-discovered mendelevium. Video documentation of the discovery was produced by the television station KQED and can be viewed on YouTube with a new narration by Claude Lyneis.[6][7]
He taught at Florida State University from 1956 until 2001. He served there as Chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and was named Robert O. Lawton Distinguished Professor, "...the highest honor the Florida State faculty bestows upon one of its own."[8]
The chemistry wing of the science building at Loyola University is named for Choppin,[9] and the Gregory R. Choppin Chair in Chemistry and Biochemistry is an endowed chair at Florida State University.[8]
Choppin is sometimes credited with co-discovering the elements einsteinium and fermium.[8][10]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "The 1995 Ralph and Helen Oesper Awardee : Honoring Gregory R. Choppon" (PDF). Artsci.uc.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
- ^ "Gregory Choppin Obituary". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
- ^ Ghiorso, A.; Harvey, B.; Choppin, G.; Thompson, S.; Seaborg, G. (1955). "New Element Mendelevium, Atomic Number 101". Physical Review. 98 (5): 1518. Bibcode:1955PhRv...98.1518G. doi:10.1103/PhysRev.98.1518. ISBN 978-981-02-1440-1.
- ^ Seaborg, G.T. (January 1980). "Symposium commemorating the 25th anniversary of the discovery of mendelevium (Conference) - SciTech Connect". Osti.gov. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
- ^ "101. Mendelevium - Elementymology & Elements Multidict". Vanderkrogt.net. 1996-08-26. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
- ^ Mendelevium: The Way It Was. YouTube. 5 November 2013. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
- ^ "60-Year-Old Film Surfaces, Depicting Discovery of Mendelevium". Lbl.gov. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
- ^ a b c Florida State University News (28 August 2012). " "Florida State 24/7 - The News Site of Florida State University". Fsu.edu. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
- ^ "Gregory Choppin Obituary - Tallahassee, FL - Tallahassee Democrat". Tallahassee Democrat. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
- ^ Dr. John Andraos. "Names of Scientists Associated with Discoveries of Elements of Periodic Table" (PDF). Careerchem.com. Retrieved 2015-10-27.
