THE HISTORY AND PRESERVATION OF CHEMICAL INSTRUMENTATION

THE HISTORY AND PRESERVATION OF CHEMICAL INSTRUMENTATION

CHEMISTS AND CHEMISTRY A series ofbooks devoted to the examination ofthe history and development ofchemistry from its early emergence as a separate discipline to the presentday. The series will describe the personalities, processes, theoretical and technical advances which have shaped our current understanding ofchemical science.

THE HISTORY AND PRESERVATION OF CHEMICAL INSTRUMENTATION Proceedings oftheacs Division ofthe History ofchemistry Symposium heldin Chicago, Ill., September 9-10, 1985 Edited by JOHN T. STOCK Professor Emeritus, Department ofchemistry, University ofconnecticut and MARY VIRGINIA ORNA, O.S.U. Professor of Chemistry, College ofnew Rochelle D. REIDEL PUBLISHING COMPANY AMEMBER OFTHE KLUW ER ACADEMI C PUBUSHERSGROUP DORDRECHT / BOSTON / LANCASTER / TOKYO

library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data The history and preservation of chemical instrumentation. (Chemists and chemistry) Includes bibliographies and indexes. 1. Instrumental analysis-history-congresses. I. Stock, John T. (John Thomas), 1911-. II. Orna, Mary Virginia. III. American Chemical Society. Division of the History of Chemistry. IV. Series. QD79.15H57 1986 543 86-10028 ISBN-13: 978-94-010-8585-4 001: 10.1007/978-94-009-4690-3 e-isbn-13: 978-94-009-4690-3 Published by D. Reidel Publishing Company, P.O. Box 17,3300 AA Dordrecht, Holland. Sold and distributed in the U.S.A. and Canada by Kluwer Academic Publishers, 101 Philip Drive, Assinippi Park, Norwell, MA 02061, U.S.A. In au other countries, sold and distributed by Kluwer Academic Publishers Group, P.O. Box 322, 3300 AH Dordrecht, Holland. All Rights Reserved 1986 by D. Reidel Publishing Company, Dordrecht, Holland Reprint of the original edition 1986 No part of the material protected by this copyrigh t notice may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without written permission from the copyright owner

TABLE OF CONTENTS Introduction vii JOHN K. TAYLOR / The Impact of Instrumentation on Analytical Chemistry WILBUR KAYE / Rise and Fall of Specifications as Indicators of Instrument Performance 11 PAUL A. WILKS / The Origins of Commercial Infrared Spectrometers 27 MELVYN C. USSELMAN / The Reflective Goniometer and Its Impact on Chemical Theory 33 M. EUGENE RUDD / D.B. Brace's Measurement of Double Refraction Due to Ether Drift 41 DUANE H. JAECKS / Developments in 18th Century Optics and Early Instrumentation 51 WILLIAM J. ANGELOTTI / The History of Optical Emission Techniques for the Industrial User 67 C. EUGENE BENNETT / My Rememberance of Gas Chromatography 79 HAMISH SMALL / A Personal History of the Conception and Early Development of Ion Chromatography 9 7 GERALD L. HAWK / The Next St e p in Laboratory Automation - Robotics 109 WILLIAM B. JENSEN / The Development of Blowpipe Analysis 123 WALTER J. BLAEDEL / The Practical Aspects of Collecting, Preserving, and Exhibiting Analytical Balances 151 WILLIAM J. READ / Renovation and Repair of Scientific Instruments 157 A. D. MORRISON-LOW / Kemp & Co., Laboratory Suppliers 163 DAVID J. BOULLIN / Mechanical Control of Gaslight: An Account of Clockwork Mechanisms Used for Operating Gaslights 187

vi TABLE OF CONTENTS WILLIAM J. READ / The Development of Scientific Instruments Relating to Negretti & Zambra, Instrument Makers, England, 1850-1985 211 JOHN BURNETT / The Use of New Materials in the Manufacture of Scientific Instruments, C.1880-C.1920 217 JOHN T. STOCK / Historic Instruments: Survival or Disappearance? 239 Name Index 249 Subject Index 255

INTRODUCTION The development of chemistry, like that of the other fields of science and technology, has depended greatly upon the availability of instruments. Accordingly, the study of the history of instrumentation is a major area in any survey of the progress in this science. Recognizing this fact, the Division of the History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society organized and held a very successful symposium on the history of chemical instrumentation during the Washington, D.C. National Meeting in 1979. Re~arks, both formal and informal, made during this symposium stressed points that soon become obvious to anyone who looks at the ancestry of present-day instruments. In some cases, the total history is measured in years, rather than in centuries. Chemical instrumentation, by no means confined to the laboratory, is vital in industry. There is a natural tendency to discard an item of any kind when a newer version is acquired. Often, "to discard" means "to scrap". If the item scrapped is an instrument that is unique - sometimes the last of its kind - we have a permanent artefactual gap in the history of science. These points, together with the ever-growing importance and development of the tools of the chemist, led the Divisions o f the History of Chemistry and of Analytical Chemistry to the joint organization of a more ext ensi ve symposium that formed part of the ACS National Meeting in Chicago in 1985. The inclusion of the words "and preservation" in the title stresses the importance of thinking and inquiring before scrapping. Only by the co-operation of all scientists and technologists can we hope to minimize or, hopefully, avoid losses like those of the past. The eighteen papers in the sympo s i um deal with instruments ranging from the very simple to the highly complex, with histories long, medium, or short. Some of the authors have not only first-hand knowledge of the history of a particular type of instrument, but have also contributed to the making of thi s history. These facts, together with the many favorable comments received during and after the sympo sium, strengthened our resolve that the accounts presented should be placed on permanent record in a single collection. The Editors intend this book to be a tribute to instrument makers, whether vii

viii INTRODUCTION of today or of times past. The progess of science has, does, and will depend upon their skill and ingenuity. John T. Stock Mary Virginia Orna, O.S.U. (Editors)