Faraday Lecture. Chemistry and the Quantum Theory of Atomic Constitution. Offprint from: Journal of the Chemical Society, February 1932

BOHR, Niels

Publication Date: 1932

About this Item

First edition, very rare offprint. Bohr delivered the Faraday lecture before the Chemical Society in London on May 8, 1930, but publication was "delayed due to unforeseen circumstances". "The major part of the published lecture is taken up with a survey of the development of atomic theory. However, the paper is of particular interest because it contains the only published hint of Bohr's views on the problem of irreversibility (pp. 376-377). Bohr was throughout his life deeply interested in statistical mechanics and pondered much upon the relation between mechanical and thermodynamical descriptions . . . Towards the end of the talk Bohr touches on the current questions of the relativistic electron theory and comments on the problems of nuclear constitution. As regards this latter part, the reader should of course bear in mind that the article was completed just before Chadwick's discovery of the neutron, which finally solved the puzzle of the 'intra-nuclear electrons' and their contribution to the statistics of the nuclei. [The article also contains] Bohr's renewed doubts as regards energy conservation (in beta-decay), which was laid to rest through Pauli's neutrino hypothesis" (Foundations of Quantum Physics I (1926 - 1932), Kalckar (ed.), pp. 319 & 330). 8vo, pp. 349-384. Original printed wrappers (light vertical crease where folded for posting). Seller Inventory # ABE-1677603765249

Bibliographic Details

Title: Faraday Lecture. Chemistry and the Quantum ...

Publication Date: 1932

Binding: Soft cover

Condition: Near Fine

Edition: 1st Edition