Gilbert Newton Lewis
In a paper published in the Journal of the American Chemical Society in 1916, G. N. Lewis introduced the theory of the shared electron pair chemical bond. It revolutionized chemistry, and it is to honor his contribution that we often refer to "electron dot" structures as Lewis structures. However, he also made major contributions to other fields such as thermodynamics, isotope studies, and the interaction of light with substances. Of particular interest is the extension of his theory of bonding to a generalized theory of acids and bases. This theory is often referred to as the Lewis acid-base theory. G. N. Lewis was born in Massachusetts but raised in Nebraska. After earning his B.A. and Ph.D. at Harvard University, he began his academic career. In 1912 he was appointed Chairman of the Chemistry Department at the University of California, Berkeley, and remained there the rest of his life. Lewis felt that a chemistry department should both teach and advance fundamental chemistry, and he was not only a productive researcher but also a teacher who profoundly affected his students. Among his ideas was the use of problem sets in teaching, an idea that is still in use today. |
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