William A. Noyes (1857-1941) was an American analytical and organic chemist. He made pioneering determinations of atomic weights, chaired the Chemistry Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign from 1907 to 1926, was the founder and editor of several important chemical journals, and received the American Chemical Society's highest award, the Priestley Medal, in 1935. Analytical chemistry is the analysis of material samples to gain an understanding of their chemical composition and structure. ... Organic chemistry is a specific discipline within the subject of chemistry. ... Chemist Julie Perkins of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory pours from a Florence flask. ... In reference to a certain isotope of a chemical element, atomic mass (though also called relative atomic mass and atomic weight) is the mass of one atom of the isotope expressed in units (atomic mass unit, amu) such that the carbon-12 isotope has an atomic mass of exactly 12. ... The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, also known as UIUC and the U of I (the officially preferred abbreviation), is the flagship campus in the University of Illinois system. ... 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). ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a learned society (professional association) based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. ... The Priestley Medal is awarded by the American Chemical Society (ACS) for distinguished service in the field of chemistry. ... 1935 (MCMXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday (link will take you to calendar). ...

Ealy life and education

Born William Albert Noyes (November 6, 1857 near Independence, Iowa), he earned A.B. and B.S. degrees from Grinnell College in 1879 (having originally enrolled in 1875 in classical studies, with chemistry as a side subject). As an undergraduate, in the winter quarters he taught school full time in the countryside. On graduating he studied and taught analytical chemistry at Grinnell, until he began graduate school at Johns Hopkins University in January 1881. There, working with Ira Remsen, he earned his Ph.D. in 1882. His doctoral dissertation "On the oxidation of benzene with chromic acid" was completed in only one and a half years (despite his also having to do water analyses to earn a living). Grinnell also awarded him an A.M. degree for this work. November 6 is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 55 days remaining. ... 1857 was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... Independence is a city located in Buchanan County, Iowa. ... A Bachelor of Arts (B.A. or A.B.) is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for a course or program in the arts and/or sciences. ... A Bachelor of Science (B.S., B.Sc. ... Grinnell College is a liberal arts college in Grinnell, Iowa. ... 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1875 (MDCCCLXXV) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Analytical chemistry is the analysis of material samples to gain an understanding of their chemical composition and structure. ... The Johns Hopkins University, founded in 1876, is a private institution of higher learning located in Baltimore, Maryland, United States. ... 1881 (MDCCCLXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Ira Remsen (February 10, 1846 - March 4, 1927) was a chemist who, along with Constantin Fahlberg discovered the artificial sweetener saccharin. ... Doctor of Philosophy (Ph. ... 1882 (MDCCCLXXXII) was a common year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar. ... A masters degree is an academic degree usually awarded for completion of a postgraduate or graduate course of one to three years in duration. ...

Career

After receiving his doctorate, Noyes taught a year as an instructor at the University of Minnesota. He was next a professor of chemistry at the University of Tennessee, followed by seventeen years at Rose Polytechnic Institute in Terre Haute, Indiana (starting there in 1886). In 1903, Noyes was hired as the first "Chief Chemist" for the United States National Bureau of Standards in Baltimore, Maryland. His determination of atomic weights lead to "one of the most precise chemical determinations ever made", the ratio of the masses of hydrogen to oxygen (which he found to be 1.00787:16). With H.C.P. Weber, he received the Nichols Medal in 1908 for determining the atomic weight of chlorine. Washington Avenue Bridge at night The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, almost always abbreviated U of M, is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system. ... The University of Tennessee (UT), sometimes called the University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UT Knoxville or UTK), is the primary institution of the statewide land-grant University of Tennessee system, Tennessees flagship public university. ... Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology (or RHIT) is a private non-sectarian college which specializes in teaching engineering, science, and mathematics. ... Terre Haute (pronounced ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana near the states western border with Illinois. ... 1886 (MDCCCLXXXVI) is a common year starting on Friday (click on link to calendar) // Events January 18 - Modern field hockey is born with the formation of The Hockey Association in England. ... 1903 (MCMIII) was a common year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... As a non-regulatory agency of the United States Department of Commerce’s Technology Administration, the National Institute of Standards (NIST) develops and promotes measurement, standards, and technology to enhance productivity, facilitate trade, and improve the quality of life. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Monument City, Charm City, Mob Town, B-more Motto: Get In On It (formerly The City That Reads and The Greatest City in America; BELIEVE is not the official motto but rather a specific campaign) Location Location of Baltimore in Maryland Coordinates , Government Country State County United... ... General Name, Symbol, Number hydrogen, H, 1 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 1, 1, s Appearance colorless Atomic mass 1. ... General Name, Symbol, Number oxygen, O, 8 Chemical series Nonmetals, chalcogens Group, Period, Block 16, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 15. ... 1908 (MCMVIII) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... General Name, Symbol, Number chlorine, Cl, 17 Chemical series halogens Group, Period, Block 17, 3, p Appearance yellowish green Atomic mass 35. ...

In 1907 he became chair of the Chemistry Department at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a position he would hold until 1926. In the process, he helped it to become one of the leading departments of chemistry in the United States. Despite his earlier work in analytical chemistry, Noyes is perhaps best known as an organic chemist. He was the first to prove the structure of camphor definitively and studied rearrangments in camphor and related compounds. He also worked on "electronic theories of valence, and the valence and nature of nitrogen in nitrogen trichloride" as well as developing "methods for the determination of phosphorus, sulfur, and manganese in iron". 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). ... A chair or seat is also a seat of office, authority, or dignity, such as the chairperson of a committee, or a professorship at a college or university, or the individual that presides over business proceedings. ... The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, also known as UIUC and the U of I (the officially preferred abbreviation), is the flagship campus in the University of Illinois system. ... 1926 (MCMXXVI) was a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar). ... Chemistry (derived from alchemy) is the science of matter at or near the atomic scale. ... R-phrases 11-20/21/22-36/37/38 S-phrases 16-26-36 RTECS number EX1260000 (R) EX1250000 (S) Supplementary data page Structure and properties n, εr, etc. ... Valence is a scientific term in chemistry to describe electrons in the outermost orbital. ... General Name, Symbol, Number nitrogen, N, 7 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 15, 2, p Appearance colorless Atomic mass 14. ... ... This article is about the chemical element. ... General Name, Symbol, Number sulfur, S, 16 Chemical series nonmetals Group, Period, Block 16, 3, p Appearance lemon yellow Atomic mass 32. ... General Name, Symbol, Number manganese, Mn, 25 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 7, 4, d Appearance silvery metallic Atomic mass 54. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Atomic mass 55. ...

Editor

Noyes was the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of the American Chemical Society from 1902 to 1917. In addition, he founded Chemical Abstracts and was its first editor from 1907 to 1910. He also founded American Chemical Society Scientific Monographs (serving as its first editor from 1919 to 1941) and Chemical Reviews (serving as its first editor from 1924 to 1926). Following the First World War, Noyes sought to promote international understanding and to reestablish harmonic relations between French and German chemists. The Editor in chief is a publications primary editor. ... The Journal of the American Chemical Society (usually abbreviated as , or JACS), is a peer-reviewed scientific journal, published since 1879 by the American Chemical Society. ... Chemical Abstracts Service (CAS) is a division of the American Chemical Society which produces the Chemical Abstracts, an index of the scientific literature in chemistry and related fields. ... Chemical Reviews (usually abbreviated as ), is a peer-reviewed scientific journal, published since 1900 by the American Chemical Society. ... Ypres, 1917, in the vicinity of the Battle of Passchendaele. ...

Death and honors

Noyes received the Priestley Medal, the American Chemical Society's highest award, in 1935. He died on October 24, 1941. October 24 is the 297th day of the year (298th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 68 days remaining. ... For the movie, see 1941 (film) 1941 (MCMXLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (the link is to a full 1941 calendar). ...

The Noyes Laboratory at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign was so named in his honor in 1939. The lab was originally built in 1902, expanded under Noyes in 1916 (more than doubling its size) and named a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the ACS in its 100th year, 2002.

Family

Noyes was the youngest son of Spencer W. Noyes and Mary Noyes, and was born on their farm. His first wife was Flora Collier Noyes. They had several children, but all except William Albert Noyes, Jr., (born April 18, 1898, in Terre Haute, Indiana) died in early childhood. Flora was in poor health for some years before her death in March 1900. Noyes remarried in 1901 and had a son, Charles, in 1904. His second wife died of a stroke in August 1914. In the fall of 1915, Noyes married hhis third wife, Katharine Macy Noyes. They had two sons, Richard and Pierre. Albert, Richard, and Pierre all followed their father into the sciences and academia. April 18 is the 108th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (109th in leap years). ... 1898 (MDCCCXCVIII) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Terre Haute (pronounced ) is a city in Vigo County, Indiana near the states western border with Illinois. ...

References

• Quotations taken from A biography of William A. Noyes (University of Illinois Department of Chemistry website)
• ACS National Historic Chemical Landmarks webiste William Albert Noyes: The Department Comes of Age (1857-1941)
• Noyes Laboratory: One Hundred Years of History
• Wives and children information taken from Biography of William A. Noyes Jr.