Fred Allison
Encyclopedia
Fred C. Allison was an American physicist.
Allison developed a magneto-optic spectroscopy
method. that became known as the Allison magneto-optic method. He claimed to have discovered two new elements (later discredited) using this method. He taught at Auburn Department of Physics
.
in 1914, it was known that several elements had not yet been discovered. However, the chemical properties could be deduced from the vacant places in the periodic table of Dmitri Mendeleev
. Several scientists claimed the discovery of the missing elements.
During Allison's work at the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (which became Auburn University), starting in 1930, he developed a method that he believed measured the time dependence of the Faraday Effect
. An account of the method has been posted by Mike Epstein. Allison erroneously claimed that he had discovered the two missing elements with his magneto-optic spectroscopy. He claimed to have found element 87, now called francium
, in pollucite
and lepidolite
. He also claimed to have found element 85, now called astatine
in monazite
sand, a mineral which is rich in rare earth elements and thorium
. He named the two elements after the United state states Virginia
and Alabama
, alabamium and virginium. After several years and several attempts to verify the claims of Allison, the method of magneto-optic spectroscopy was found to be unsuitable for the detection of the new elements.
The Allison magneto-optic effect was discussed by Irving Langmuir
in his now famous 1953 lecture on Pathological science
that was reprinted in Physics Today.
July 4, 1882 and earned a degree from Emory and Henry College
in Emory, Virginia
in 1904. After teaching at the same college, he decided to join Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore
for a degree in physics. After several years there (teaching at Emory and Henry and working on his Ph.D. in alternate years) he changed to the University of Virginia
and received his Ph.D. in physics in 1920 working with Jesse Beams
. In 1922, Allison was invited to create the physics department of Alabama Polytechnic Institute, which later became Auburn University
. As Dean of the Graduate school, he help found the first Ph.D. programs at the Polytechnic Institute. He stayed at the Polytechnic Institute for 31 years until mandatory retirement. He returned to Emory and Henry College as chair of the science division for three years. This was followed by teaching physics at Huntingdon College
from 1956-1968. After this last lecturing position, in 1969 he returned to Auburn University and continued his lab-work until one month before his death on August 2, 1974. The Auburn University Physics building is named in his honor.
Allison developed a magneto-optic spectroscopy
Magneto-optic effect
A magneto-optic effect is any one of a number of phenomena in which an electromagnetic wave propagates through a medium that has been altered by the presence of a quasistatic magnetic field...
method. that became known as the Allison magneto-optic method. He claimed to have discovered two new elements (later discredited) using this method. He taught at Auburn Department of Physics
Auburn University Physics Department
The Physics Department at Auburn University offers academic programs leading to B.S., M.S., and Ph.D. degrees in Physics. As of 2008, it has 21 full-time faculty members.-Undergraduate:...
.
Discovery of alabamium and virginium
From the work of Henry MoseleyHenry Moseley
Henry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley was an English physicist. Moseley's outstanding contribution to the science of physics was the justification from physical laws of the previous empirical and chemical concept of the atomic number. This stemmed from his development of Moseley's law in X-ray spectra...
in 1914, it was known that several elements had not yet been discovered. However, the chemical properties could be deduced from the vacant places in the periodic table of Dmitri Mendeleev
Dmitri Mendeleev
Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev , was a Russian chemist and inventor. He is credited as being the creator of the first version of the periodic table of elements...
. Several scientists claimed the discovery of the missing elements.
During Allison's work at the Alabama Polytechnic Institute (which became Auburn University), starting in 1930, he developed a method that he believed measured the time dependence of the Faraday Effect
Faraday effect
In physics, the Faraday effect or Faraday rotation is a Magneto-optical phenomenon, that is, an interaction between light and a magnetic field in a medium...
. An account of the method has been posted by Mike Epstein. Allison erroneously claimed that he had discovered the two missing elements with his magneto-optic spectroscopy. He claimed to have found element 87, now called francium
Francium
Francium is a chemical element with symbol Fr and atomic number 87. It was formerly known as eka-caesium and actinium K.Actually the least unstable isotope, francium-223 It has the lowest electronegativity of all known elements, and is the second rarest naturally occurring element...
, in pollucite
Pollucite
Pollucite is a zeolite mineral with the formula 2Al2Si4O12·2H2O with iron, calcium, rubidium and potassium as common substituting elements. It is important as a significant ore of caesium and sometimes rubidium. It forms a solid solution series with analcime. It crystallizes in the isometric -...
and lepidolite
Lepidolite
Lepidolite Lepidolite Lepidolite (KLi2Al(Al,Si)3O10(F,OH)2 is a lilac-gray or rose-colored phyllosilicate mineral of the mica group that is a secondary source of lithium. It is associated with other lithium-bearing minerals like spodumene in pegmatite bodies. It is one of the major sources of the...
. He also claimed to have found element 85, now called astatine
Astatine
Astatine is a radioactive chemical element with the symbol At and atomic number 85. It occurs on the Earth only as the result of decay of heavier elements, and decays away rapidly, so much less is known about this element than its upper neighbors in the periodic table...
in monazite
Monazite
Monazite is a reddish-brown phosphate mineral containing rare earth metals. It occurs usually in small isolated crystals. There are actually at least four different kinds of monazite, depending on relative elemental composition of the mineral:...
sand, a mineral which is rich in rare earth elements and thorium
Thorium
Thorium is a natural radioactive chemical element with the symbol Th and atomic number 90. It was discovered in 1828 and named after Thor, the Norse god of thunder....
. He named the two elements after the United state states Virginia
Virginia
The Commonwealth of Virginia , is a U.S. state on the Atlantic Coast of the Southern United States. Virginia is nicknamed the "Old Dominion" and sometimes the "Mother of Presidents" after the eight U.S. presidents born there...
and Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
, alabamium and virginium. After several years and several attempts to verify the claims of Allison, the method of magneto-optic spectroscopy was found to be unsuitable for the detection of the new elements.
The Allison magneto-optic effect was discussed by Irving Langmuir
Irving Langmuir
Irving Langmuir was an American chemist and physicist. His most noted publication was the famous 1919 article "The Arrangement of Electrons in Atoms and Molecules" in which, building on Gilbert N. Lewis's cubical atom theory and Walther Kossel's chemical bonding theory, he outlined his...
in his now famous 1953 lecture on Pathological science
Pathological science
Pathological science is the process in science in which "people are tricked into false results ... by subjective effects, wishful thinking or threshold interactions". The term was first used by Irving Langmuir, Nobel Prize-winning chemist, during a 1953 colloquium at the Knolls Research Laboratory...
that was reprinted in Physics Today.
Life
Allison was born in Glade Spring, VirginiaGlade Spring, Virginia
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,374 people, 565 households, and 402 families residing in the town. The population density was 1,093.4 people per square mile . There were 626 housing units at an average density of 498.2 per square mile...
July 4, 1882 and earned a degree from Emory and Henry College
Emory and Henry College
Emory & Henry College, known as E&H, Emory, or the College, is a private liberal arts college located in Emory, Virginia, United States. The campus comprises of Washington County, Virginia, which is part of the mountain region of Southwest Virginia...
in Emory, Virginia
Emory, Virginia
Emory is a census-designated place in Washington County, Virginia, United States. The population was 1,251 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Kingsport–Bristol –Bristol Metropolitan Statistical Area, which is a component of the Johnson City–Kingsport–Bristol, TN-VA...
in 1904. After teaching at the same college, he decided to join Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
for a degree in physics. After several years there (teaching at Emory and Henry and working on his Ph.D. in alternate years) he changed to the University of Virginia
University of Virginia
The University of Virginia is a public research university located in Charlottesville, Virginia, United States, founded by Thomas Jefferson...
and received his Ph.D. in physics in 1920 working with Jesse Beams
Jesse Beams
Jesse Wakefield Beams was an American physicist at the University of Virginia.Beams completed his undergraduate B.A. in physics at Fairmount College in 1921 and his master's degree the next year at the University of Wisconsin–Madison...
. In 1922, Allison was invited to create the physics department of Alabama Polytechnic Institute, which later became Auburn University
Auburn University
Auburn University is a public university located in Auburn, Alabama, United States. With more than 25,000 students and 1,200 faculty members, it is one of the largest universities in the state. Auburn was chartered on February 7, 1856, as the East Alabama Male College, a private liberal arts...
. As Dean of the Graduate school, he help found the first Ph.D. programs at the Polytechnic Institute. He stayed at the Polytechnic Institute for 31 years until mandatory retirement. He returned to Emory and Henry College as chair of the science division for three years. This was followed by teaching physics at Huntingdon College
Huntingdon College
Huntingdon College, founded in 1854, is a coeducational liberal arts college in Montgomery, Alabama, United States. Related to the United Methodist Church, the college's central hallmarks are faith, wisdom, and service. The college is known for providing a solid academic experience based on good...
from 1956-1968. After this last lecturing position, in 1969 he returned to Auburn University and continued his lab-work until one month before his death on August 2, 1974. The Auburn University Physics building is named in his honor.