Charles Alfred Coulson FRS (13 December 1910 - 7 January 1974) was a prominent researcher in the field of
theoretical chemistryTheoretical chemistry involves the use of physics to explain or predict chemical phenomena. In recent years, it has consisted primarily of quantum chemistry, i.e., the application of quantum mechanics to problems in chemistry. Theoretical chemistry may be broadly divided into electronic structure,...
.
Educated at
Cambridge UniversityThe University of Cambridge , located in the City of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, is the second oldest university in the English-speaking world and the fourth oldest in Europe...
, Coulson’s interests included mathematics, physics, chemistry, and molecular biology. His use of quantum methods to study molecular structure led to election as a fellow of the
Royal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, or even the Royal, is a learned society for science that was founded in 1660 and is considered by most to be the oldest such society still in existence...
in 1950. He held academic posts at the
University of St AndrewsThe University of St Andrews is the oldest university in Scotland and third oldest in the English-speaking world, having been founded between 1410 and 1413...
,
University College LondonUniversity College London is a British university institution and a constituent college of the University of London, based primarily in Bloomsbury, London...
,
King's College LondonKing's College London is a British higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge...
, and the
University of OxfordThe University of Oxford , located in the UK city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back...
. At Oxford he was the Rouse Ball Professor of Applied Mathematics.
Charles Alfred Coulson FRS (13 December 1910 - 7 January 1974) was a prominent researcher in the field of
theoretical chemistryTheoretical chemistry involves the use of physics to explain or predict chemical phenomena. In recent years, it has consisted primarily of quantum chemistry, i.e., the application of quantum mechanics to problems in chemistry. Theoretical chemistry may be broadly divided into electronic structure,...
.
Life and work
Educated at
Cambridge UniversityThe University of Cambridge , located in the City of Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, United Kingdom, is the second oldest university in the English-speaking world and the fourth oldest in Europe...
, Coulson’s interests included mathematics, physics, chemistry, and molecular biology. His use of quantum methods to study molecular structure led to election as a fellow of the
Royal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, or even the Royal, is a learned society for science that was founded in 1660 and is considered by most to be the oldest such society still in existence...
in 1950. He held academic posts at the
University of St AndrewsThe University of St Andrews is the oldest university in Scotland and third oldest in the English-speaking world, having been founded between 1410 and 1413...
,
University College LondonUniversity College London is a British university institution and a constituent college of the University of London, based primarily in Bloomsbury, London...
,
King's College LondonKing's College London is a British higher education institution and co-founding constituent college of the University of London. Founded by King George IV and the Duke of Wellington in 1829, its royal charter is predated, in England, only by those of the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge...
, and the
University of OxfordThe University of Oxford , located in the UK city of Oxford, is the oldest surviving university in the English-speaking world and is regarded as one of the world's leading academic institutions. Although the exact date of foundation remains unclear, there is evidence of teaching there as far back...
. At Oxford he was the Rouse Ball Professor of Applied Mathematics. In 1972 he became the first Professor of Theoretical Chemistry at the University of Oxford, and that Chair is now named after him. Many prominent theoretical chemists studied with him, including
H. Christopher Longuet-HigginsHugh Christopher Longuet-Higgins FRS was both a theoretical chemist and a cognitive scientist. He was born on April 11, 1923 in Kent, England and died on March 27, 2004....
.
Coulson wrote several books, but
Valence, published by Oxford University Press in 1952, was the most influential. The 3rd Edition,
Coulson's Valence, was published after his death by
Roy McWeenyRoy McWeeny, born May 19, 1924 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England, is a physicist and academic.His first degree is in Physics from the University of Leeds...
in 1979. Coulson also wrote popular works on atomic and molecular structure.
Raised as a Methodist, Coulson became a committed
ChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic, religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth, who Christians believe was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament/Hebrew Bible, and the Son of God.The term "Christian" is also used adjectivally to...
in 1930. Beside his scientific works, he wrote
Science, Technology and the Christian (1953) and
Science and Christian Belief (1955), integrating his scientific and religious views. Coulson apparently coined the phrase
God of the gapsThe phrase God of the gaps refers to a view of God as existing in the "gaps" or aspects of reality that are currently unexplained by scientific knowledge....
. Coulson believed religious faith was essential for the responsible use of science. He was a pacifist and
conscientious objectorA conscientious objector is an individual who, on religious, moral or ethical grounds, refuses to participate as a combatant in war or, in some cases, to take any role that would support a combatant organization armed forces. In the first case, conscientious objectors may be willing to accept...
, but championed the development of nuclear energy. He encouraged scientists to help improve third world food production.
Coulson was a member of the
International Academy of Quantum Molecular ScienceThe International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science is an international scientific learned society covering all applications of quantum theory to chemistry and chemical physics. It was created in Menton in 1967. The founding members were Raymond Daudel, Per-Olov Löwdin, Robert G. Parr, John...
and won the
Davy MedalThe Davy Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "for an outstandingly important recent discovery in any branch of chemistry". Named after Humphry Davy, the medal is awarded with a gift of £1000. The medal was first awarded in 1877 to Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Robert Kirchhoff "for...
of the
Royal SocietyThe Royal Society of London for the Improvement of Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, or even the Royal, is a learned society for science that was founded in 1660 and is considered by most to be the oldest such society still in existence...
in 1970.
See also
- Valence bond theory
In chemistry, valence bond theory is one of two basic theories, along with molecular orbital theory, that developed to use the methods of quantum mechanics to explain chemical bonding. It focuses on how the atomic orbitals of the dissociated atoms combine on molecular formation to give individual...
- Molecular orbital
In chemistry, a molecular orbital is a mathematical function that describes the wave-like behavior of an electron in a molecule. This function can be used to calculate chemical and physical properties such as the probability of finding an electron in any specific region. The use of the term...
- List of science and religion scholars
External links
- Video of a talk by Ana Simões titled "Textbooks as Manifestos: C. A. Coulson after Linus Pauling
Linus Carl Pauling was an American chemist, peace activist, author, and educator. He was one of the most influential chemists in history and ranks among the most important scientists in any field of the 20th century. Pauling was among the first scientists to work in the fields of quantum...
and Robert S. MullikenRobert Sanderson Mulliken was an American physicist and chemist, primarily responsible for the early development of molecular orbital theory, i.e. the elaboration of the molecular orbital method of computing the structure of molecules. Dr. Mulliken received the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1966...
"