Charles Martin Hall (December 6, 1863–December 27, 1914) was an American inventor and engineer. He is best known for his invention in 1886 of an inexpensive method for producing aluminum, which became the first metal to attain widespread use since the prehistoric discovery of iron.
Early years
Charles Martin Hall was born the son of Herman Bassett Hall and Sophronia H. Brooks on December 6, 1863 in Thompson, Ohio. He had one brother and three sisters, one of whom died in infancy. One of his sisters was Julia Brainerd Hall (1859-1925), who helped him in his experiments according to Trescott 1977. His family moved to
Oberlin, OhioOberlin is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States, to the south and west of Cleveland. Oberlin is perhaps best known for being the home of Oberlin College, a liberal arts college and music conservatory with approximately 3,000 students...
in 1873, and he graduated from
Oberlin High School. In 1880 he enrolled in
Oberlin CollegeOberlin College is a private liberal arts college in Oberlin, Ohio. It was founded in 1833 by Presbyterian ministers, and is home to the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, making it the only top-ranked liberal arts college with a top-ranked conservatory...
, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1885. Hall was encouraged in his scientific experiments, which took place in a woodshed behind his family home, with ideas and materials from Professor Frank Fanning Jewett (1844-1926). The Jewett home is preserved in Oberlin as the
Oberlin Heritage Center. The center features an exhibit called
Aluminum: The Oberlin Connection, which includes a re-creation of Hall's 1886 woodshed experiment. The
Hall House is also preserved in Oberlin, although the woodshed was demolished long ago.
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Discovery
Hall produced the first samples of metal on February 23, 1886, after several years of intensive work. He had to fabricate most of his apparatus and prepare his chemicals, and was assisted by his older sister Julia Brainerd Hall (see Craig 1986, CIM Bulletin). The basic invention involves passing an electric current through a bath of alumina dissolved in
cryoliteCryolite is an uncommon mineral identified with the once large deposit at Ivigtût on the west coast of Greenland, which ran out in 1987....
, which results in a puddle of aluminum forming in the bottom of the retort. On July 9, 1886, Hall filed for his first patent. This process was also discovered at nearly the same time by the Frenchman
Paul HéroultThe French scientist Paul Héroult was the inventor of the aluminium electrolysis and of the electric steel furnace. He lived in Thury-Harcourt, Normandy.Christian Bickert said of him...
, and it has come to be known as the
Hall-Héroult processThe Hall-Héroult process is the major industrial process for the production of aluminium. It involves dissolving alumina in molten cryolite, and electrolysing the solution to obtain pure aluminium metal.-Process:...
.
After failing to find financial backing at home, Hall went to
PittsburghPittsburgh is a city in and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and the second largest city in the state. Its population was 334,563 at the 2000 census; by 2006, it was estimated to have fallen to 312,819. The population of the seven-county metropolitan area is...
where he made contact with the noted metallurgist
Alfred E. HuntAlfred Ephraim Hunt was a 19th century American metallurgist and industrialist best known for founding the company that would eventually become Alcoa, the world's largest producer and distributor of aluminum.-Early life:...
. They formed the Reduction Company of Pittsburgh which opened the first large-scale aluminum production plants. The Reduction Company later became the Aluminum Company of America, then
Alcoathe river: Alcoa RiverAlcoa, Inc. is the world's third largest producer of aluminum, behind Rio Tinto Alcan and Rusal. From its operational headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Alcoa conducts operations in 44 countries...
. Hall was a major stockholder, and became wealthy.
The Hall-Héroult process eventually resulted in reducing the price of aluminum by a factor of 200, making it affordable for many practical uses. By 1900, annual production reached about 8 thousand tons. Today, more aluminum is produced than all other non-ferrous metals combined.
Aluminum
Hall is considered the originator of the American spelling of aluminum. According to Oberlin College, he misspelled it on a handbill publicizing his aluminum refinement process. The process was so revolutionary, and brought the metal to such prominence, that Americans have spelled aluminum with one "i" since. In the United Kingdom and other countries using
British spellingAmerican and British English spelling differences are one aspect of American and British English differences.- Historical origins :In the early 18th century, English spelling was not standardized. Differences became noticeable after the publishing of influential dictionaries...
, only
aluminium is used. The spelling in virtually all other languages is analogous to the
-ium ending.
Later years
Hall continued his research and development for the rest of his life and was granted 22 US patents, most on aluminum production. He served on the Oberlin College Board of Trustees. He was vice-president of the Alcoa until his death in 1914 in Daytona, Florida. He died unmarried and childless and was buried in Westwood Cemetery in Oberlin.
Recognition
Hall eventually became one of Oberlin College's most prominent benefactors. Students are fond of the statue of Hall made of aluminum. Because of its light weight, Hall's statue was once known for its frequent changes of location, often due to student pranks. Today the statue is glued to a large granite block and sits more permanently on the second floor of Oberlin's new science center, where students continue to decorate Hall with appropriate trappings on holidays and other occasions.
Hall won the
Perkin MedalThe Perkin Medal is an award given annually by the American section of the Society of Chemical Industry to a scientist residing in America for an "innovation in applied chemistry resulting in outstanding commercial development." It is considered the highest honor given in the US industrial chemical...
, the highest award in American industrial chemistry in 1911. In 1997 the production of aluminum metal by electrochemistry discovered by Hall was designated an
ACS National Historical Chemical LandmarkThe National Historic Chemical Landmarks Program was launched by the American Chemical Society in 1992 and has recognized more than 60 landmarks to date. The program celebrates the centrality of chemistry...
.
Patents
- US Patent 400,664, Process of reducing aluminium from its fluoride salts by electrolysis -- C. M. Hall, applied 1886, granted 1889 http://patimg2.uspto.gov/.piw?Docid=00400664&homeurl=http%3A%2F%2Fpatft.uspto.gov%2Fnetacgi%2Fnph-Parser%3FSect1%3DPTO2%2526Sect2%3DHITOFF%2526p%3D1%2526u%3D%25252Fnetahtml%25252FPTO%25252Fsearch-adv.htm%2526r%3D1%2526f%3DG%2526l%3D50%2526d%3DPALL%2526S1%3D0,400,664.PN.%2526OS%3DPN%2F0,400,664%2526RS%3DPN%2F0,400,664&PageNum=&Rtype=&SectionNum=&idkey=NONE&Input=View+first+pageTIFF Image of page from USPTO].