Walther Ludwig Julius Kossel (January 4, 1888 in Berlin, Germany – 22 May 1956 in Tübingen, Germany) was a German physicist known for his theory of the chemical bond (ionic bond/octet rule), Sommerfeld-Kossel displacement law of atomic spectra, the Kossel-Stranski model for crystal growth, and the Kossel effect. Walther was the son of Albrecht Kossel who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1910. January 4 is the 4th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1888 (MDCCCLXXXVIII) is a leap year starting on Sunday (click on link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a leap year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar. ... Berlin is the capital city and one of the sixteen states of the Federal Republic of Germany. ... May 22 is the 142nd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (143rd in leap years). ... Year 1956 (MCMLVI) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... Tübingen, Neckar front Tübingen, a traditional university town of Baden-Württemberg, Germany, is situated 20 miles southwest of Stuttgart, on a ridge between the River Neckar and the Ammer. ... ... A chemical bond is the physical phenomenon (or phenomena) responsible for the attractive interactions between atoms that confers stability to di- and polyatomic chemical compounds. ... Electron configurations of lithium and fluorine. ... The bonding in carbon dioxide The octet rule is a simple chemical rule of thumb that states that atoms tend to combine in such a way that they each have eight electrons in their valence shells, similar to the electronic configuration of a noble gas. ... Ludwig Karl Martin Leonhard Albrecht Kossel (September 16, 1853 - July 5, German medical doctor. ... List of Nobel Prize laureates in Physiology or Medicine from 1901 to the present day. ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ...

Career

Kossel began studies at the University of Heidelberg in 1906, but was at the University of Berlin during 1907 and 1908. In 1910, he became assistant to Philipp Lenard, who was also his thesis advisor. Kossel was awarded his Ph.D. in 1910, and he stayed on as assistant to Leonard until 1913.^[1] The Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg (German Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; also known as simply University of Heidelberg) was established in the town of Heidelberg in the Rhineland in 1386. ... 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (German Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin) is Berlins oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin (Universität zu Berlin) by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt whose university model has strongly influenced... 1907 (MCMVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Philipp Eduard Anton von Lénárd, (June 7, 1862 in Preßburg, Austria-Hungary (today Bratislava, Slovakia)–May 20, 1947 in Messelhausen, Germany) was a Hungarian-German physicist and the winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1905 for his research on cathode rays and the discovery of... 1910 (MCMX) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day slower Julian calendar. ... Year 1913 (MCMXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ...

In 1913, the year in which Niels Bohr introduced the Bohr model of the atom, Kossel went to the University of Munich as assistant to Arnold Sommerfeld, ^[2] under whom he did his Habilitation. Under Sommerfeld, Munich was a theoretical center for the developing atomic theory, especially from the interpretation of atomic spectra. In 1916, Kossel put forth his theory of the ionic chemical bond (octet rule), also independently advanced in the same year by Gilbert Lewis.^[3] In papers published in 1914, 1916, and 1920, Kossel was the first to explain the theory of absorption limits in x-ray spectra.^[4] The edge appears at a critical frequency where absorption of the radiation largely begins with the resultant ejection of photoelectrons. In 1919, Kossel and Sommerfeld explained the similarity of the atomic spectra of neutral atoms, of atomic number Z, and singly ionized atoms, of atomic number Z + 1, which became known as the Sommerfeld-Kossel displacement law.^[5] In 1920, Kossel explained another phenomenon of x-ray spectra. Under high resolution spectroscopy, the absorption edge has structure.^[6] He attributed this to absorption of radiation by electrons which are not ejected from matter as photoelectrons, but are “kicked up” to higher, unoccupied, bound electron energy levels. In early years, this was known as “ Kossel structure.” Niels (Henrik David) Bohr (October 7, 1885 – November 18, 1962) was a Danish physicist who made fundamental contributions to understanding atomic structure and quantum mechanics. ... In atomic physics, the Bohr model depicts the atom as a small, positively charged nucleus surrounded by electrons that travel in circular orbits around the nucleus — similar in structure to the solar system, but with electrostatic forces providing attraction, rather than gravity. ... With approximately 48,000 students, the Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich (German: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München or LMU) is one of the largest universities in Germany. ... Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld (December 5, 1868 in Königsberg, East Prussia – April 26, 1951 in Munich, Germany) was a German physicist who introduced the fine-structure constant in 1919. ... Habilitation is a term used within the university system in France, Germany, Austria, and some other European countries such as the German-speaking part of Switzerland, in Bulgaria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Slovenia, and countries of former Soviet Union, such as Armenia, Azerbaijan, Moldova, Kirgizstan, Kazakhstan, Russia, Uzbekistan... Various atoms and molecules as depicted in John Daltons A New System of Chemical Philosophy (1808). ... Extremely high resolution spectrum of the Sun showing thousands of elemental absorption lines (fraunhofer lines) Spectroscopy is the study of spectra, that is, the dependence of physical quantities on frequency. ... Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Electron configurations of lithium and fluorine. ... The bonding in carbon dioxide The octet rule is a simple chemical rule of thumb that states that atoms tend to combine in such a way that they each have eight electrons in their valence shells, similar to the electronic configuration of a noble gas. ... Lewis in the Berkeley Lab Gilbert Newton Lewis (October 23, 1875-March 23, 1946) was a famous physical chemist. ... Year 1914 (MCMXIV) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Year 1916 (MCMXVI) was a leap year starting on Saturday (link will display the full calendar). ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... X-ray spectroscopy is a gathering name for several spectroscopic techniques for determining the electronic structure of materials by using x-ray excitation. ... The photoelectric effect is the emission of electrons from matter upon the absorption of electromagnetic radiation, such as ultraviolet radiation or x-rays. ... Year 1919 (MCMXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar). ... Extremely high resolution spectrum of the Sun showing thousands of elemental absorption lines (fraunhofer lines) Spectroscopy is the study of spectra, that is, the dependence of physical quantities on frequency. ... It has been suggested that List of elements by atomic number be merged into this article or section. ... Year 1920 (MCMXX) was a leap year starting on Thursday. ... X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) is a specific structure observed in X-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS). ...

In 1921, Kossel took an appointment as ordinarius professor of theoretical physics at the University of Kiel.^[7] In 1928, he put forth his kinetic theory of crystal growth, which became known as the Kossel-Stranski model – Iwan N. Stranki^[8] independently proposed the same model.^[9] Year 1921 (MCMXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for full calendar). ... The University of Kiel, in full the Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel (in short: CAU), is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ...

In 1932, Kossel took the appointment as ordinarius professor of theoretical physics at the Technische Hochschule at Danzig.^[10] During his tenure there in 1934, he discovered x-ray lattice interference of spherical waves in crystals during the bombardment of single-crystal copper with a high-energy electron beam.^[11] 1932 (MCMXXXII) was a leap year starting on Friday (the link will take you to a full 1932 calendar). ... Technische Hochschule (acronym TH) is, what a university of technology (i. ...

In 1944, he was awarded the Max-Planck medal by the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft. Year 1944 (MCMXLIV) was a leap year starting on Saturday. ... The Max Planck medal is an award for extraordinary achievements in theoretical physics. ... The Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft (DPG) is a worldwide operating physics organization. ...

In 1945, Kossel became professor of theoretical physics and director of the Physics Institute at the University of Tübingen, where he was granted emeritus status in 1953.^[12] Year 1945 (MCMXLV) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1945 calendar). ... Eberhard Karls University of Tübingen (German: Eberhard-Karls-Universität Tübingen) is a state-supported university located on the Neckar river, in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. ... 1953 (MCMLIII) was a common year starting on Thursday. ...

Kossel died in Tübingen and is buried, as is his father, Albercht, in the Wald Friedhof, Heidelberg.^[13]

References

• Borisenko, Victor E. and Stefano Ossicini What is What in the Nanoworld: A Handbook on Nanoscience and Nanotechnology(Wiley-VCH, 2004) ISBN 3-527-40493-7

• Cao, Gouzhong Nanostructures and Nanomaterials: Synthesis, Properties, and Applications (Imperial College Press, 2004) ISBN 1-86094-415-9

• Gerhard Herzberg translated from German with the help of the author by J. W. T. Spinks Atomic Spectra and Atomic Structure (Dover, 1945)

• Pauling, Linus The Nature of the Chemical Bond and the Structure of Molecules and Crystals: An Introduction to Modern Structural Chemistry (Cornell, 1960)

• White, Harvey Elliott Introduction to Atomic Spectra (McGraw-Hill, 1934)

Gerhard Herzberg (December 25, 1904 – March 3, 1999) was a pioneering theoretical chemist. ...

Notes