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Basic Background Information:

Famous Scientist Links

History of Chemistry
100 European Chemists
This Week in the History of Chemistry
Chemist's Biographies
Alfred Nobel - Biographic links

Chronological History of Nuclear Chemistry up to the Atomic Bomb - Pictures/diagrams with short descriptions.

Classic Papers in Nuclear Chemistry
Classic Papers on Electronic Structure of the Atom

History of Nuclear Chemistry

Year Scientist, Event

1895 Wilhelm Rontgen - new kind of rays - X-Rays - 1895

1896 Henri Becquerel - on invisible rays - 1896

1898 Pierre Curie and Marie Curie - On a new, strongly radioactive substance, contained in pitchblende - Radium - 1898

1897 J.J. Thomson - electrons; long paper

1899 Rutherford - Two kinds of rays from Uranium - 1899

1900 Plank - Blackbody radiation and quanta History of Quantum mechanics

1900-03 Rutherford and Soddy - radioactive transmutation of elements

1905 Einstein - E = mc2

1904

1911

J.J. Thomson - corpuscles or "plum pudding" model of the atom

Rutherford - Abstract of paper on nuclear structure - 1911; Second Paper
Diagram

1913 Frederick Soddy - Discovery of Isotopes

1913 Mosely - used X-Rays to correlate with atomic numbers of the elements.
Brief report

1913 Geiger - Insturment to count radioactive decays - diagrams

1913 Niels Bohr - Electron Atomic Model - on Hydrogen Spectra; Second Paper

1919 Francis Aston - used Mass Spectrograph to identify 212 isotopes
Diagram

1924 Louis de Broglie - electron as a wave Paper

1926 Erwin Schrodinger - Quantum Mechanical Model Paper

1932 James Chadwick - Possible Existence of a Neutron - 1932; Detailed Paper
Diagram - 3rd Article

1933 Leo Szilard - postulated that a chain reaction could release large amounts of energy

1934-35 Enrico Fermi - used neutron to split uranium but did not recognize it. Diagram

1934 Ida Noddack - hypothesized the splitting of uranium but was ignored.

1935 Dempster - discovered the U-235 isotope

1936,1939 Bohr - Liquid Drop Model of Fission; Diagram

1938 Otto Hahn and Strassman - determined Ba-139 and La-140 from neutron split of uranium

1939 Lise Meitner and O.R. Frisch - Disintegration of Uranium by Neutrons: a New Type of Nuclear Reaction - 1939; Diagram
Another Article -Chemistry

1939 O.R. Frisch - Physical Evidence for the Division of Heavy Nuclei under Neutron Bombardment; Diagram
Two different teams discover secondary neutrons are given off

1939 Bohr and Wheeler - explain that U-235 is responsible for fission

1939 September 1, 1939 World War II begins.

Oct 1939 Leo Szilard, Einstein signs a letter to President Roosevelt

Manhatten Project to Develop the Atomic Bomb

March 1940 Otto Frisch and Rudolph Peierls calculate critical mass of U-235

March 1940 Dunning conducts neutron fission experiment with U-235
Alfred Nier at his mass spectrograph which he used to separate a sample of U-235.

Sum. 1940 Gaseous diffusion separation of U-235 - Diagram

1941 Vannevar Bush leads a gropus to study feasibility of fission in a bomb.

1941 E. O. Lawrence begins contemplating the electromagnetic separation of uranium isotopes. - Diagram

Spring 1941 Glenn Seaborg discover Plutonium and determine it to be fissionable like U-235 - Second article

Sept. 1941 Fermi's first reactor pile fails

Dec. 1941 Time tables for bomb construction. Research contracts for isotope separation.

Jan 1942 Met Lab at U. of Chicago to concentrate on the fission reaction and the production of plutoinum.

Sept 1942 Gen. Leslie Goves put in charge of Manhatten project - construction. Buys a tract of land in Oak Ridge, Tenn.

Nov. 1942 Robert Oppenhiemer in charge of lab at Los Alamos New Mexico for the productioin of the bomb.

Dec. 2, 1942 First successful sustained fission reaction in Chicago - Fermi
Eye Witness Account of first sustained fission chain reaction - Dec. 2, 1942, (Long Narrative Account) U. of Chicago Enrico Fermi

Jan. 1943 Land purchased at Hanford, Washington to build reactors to produce Pu

Feb 1943 Construction at Oak Ridge, Tennessee begins with the Y-12 electromagnetic Uranium separation plant.

April 1943 Design of the Gun assembly and the Implosion Method for the atomic bomb

Nov 1943 The X-10 reactor at Oak Ridge goes critical.

Feb 1944 Y-12 Electromagnetic Separation of Urnaium Isotopes - Uranium isotope separations- three types

April 44 First gram sized samples of plutionium arrive in Las Alamos

June 1944 Explosive lens system developed for the plutonium bomb second page

July 1944 Therrmal Diffusion method to enrich U-235 plant begins operation in 69 days

Sept 1944 Hanford reactors go critical

Jan 1945 K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant comes on line.

July 1945 50 Kg of enriched uranium sent to Los Alamos - enough for one bomb

April 1945 Full scale production of plutonium at Hanford - Properties of Plutonium
Chemical Separation of Plutonium

July 16, 1945 First test of Atomic Bomb at the Trinity Site

August 6, 1945 Little Boy is dropped from the Enola Gay on the city of Hiroshima.

August 9, 1945 Fat Man is dropped from Bock's Car on the city of Nagasaki.

Discoveries and Events leading to the feasibility of the atomic bomb

Chemistry of Uranium Production

Manhatten Project - Brief Facts and Chronolgy

Manhatten Project - Home Page

Manhatten Project - Science Background

Atomic Bomb Design -Little Boy and Fat Man

Key People -

Chronological History of Nuclear Chemistry up to the Atomic Bomb - Pictures/diagrams with short descriptions.

Children of the Manhatten Project -

Nuclear Files.org -

How an Atomic bomb works

Diagram of the W87 Warhead

Nuclear Weapons Index Site - Many links

Trinity - site of first Atomic bomb test, Historical Documents and videos, and other links

Ehtical Debates Concerning the Use of the Atomic Bomb

Why we Did it - Pros and Cons

U.S. Fears about Bin Laden and Dirty Nuclear Devices

Radiological Bomb

Citizen guide to Radon

USGS radon home page

Radioactivity released from Coal Burning Power Plants

Oklo Natural Reactor - application to waste

Further analogies to movement of natural isotopes in waste

Noble Prize Winners Resreach papers

Noble Prize Winners in Chemistry

Career Services

Professional Resume

Year	Scientist, Event
1895	Wilhelm Rontgen - new kind of rays - X-Rays - 1895
1896	Henri Becquerel - on invisible rays - 1896
1898	Pierre Curie and Marie Curie - On a new, strongly radioactive substance, contained in pitchblende - Radium - 1898
1897	J.J. Thomson - electrons; long paper
1899	Rutherford - Two kinds of rays from Uranium - 1899
1900	Plank - Blackbody radiation and quanta History of Quantum mechanics
1900-03	Rutherford and Soddy - radioactive transmutation of elements
1905	Einstein - E = mc2
1904 1911	J.J. Thomson - corpuscles or "plum pudding" model of the atom Rutherford - Abstract of paper on nuclear structure - 1911; Second Paper Diagram
1913	Frederick Soddy - Discovery of Isotopes
1913	Mosely - used X-Rays to correlate with atomic numbers of the elements. Brief report
1913	Geiger - Insturment to count radioactive decays - diagrams
1913	Niels Bohr - Electron Atomic Model - on Hydrogen Spectra; Second Paper
1919	Francis Aston - used Mass Spectrograph to identify 212 isotopes Diagram
1924	Louis de Broglie - electron as a wave Paper
1926	Erwin Schrodinger - Quantum Mechanical Model Paper
1932	James Chadwick - Possible Existence of a Neutron - 1932; Detailed Paper Diagram - 3rd Article
1933	Leo Szilard - postulated that a chain reaction could release large amounts of energy
1934-35	Enrico Fermi - used neutron to split uranium but did not recognize it. Diagram
1934	Ida Noddack - hypothesized the splitting of uranium but was ignored.
1935	Dempster - discovered the U-235 isotope
1936,1939	Bohr - Liquid Drop Model of Fission; Diagram
1938	Otto Hahn and Strassman - determined Ba-139 and La-140 from neutron split of uranium
1939	Lise Meitner and O.R. Frisch - Disintegration of Uranium by Neutrons: a New Type of Nuclear Reaction - 1939; Diagram Another Article -Chemistry
1939	O.R. Frisch - Physical Evidence for the Division of Heavy Nuclei under Neutron Bombardment; Diagram Two different teams discover secondary neutrons are given off
1939	Bohr and Wheeler - explain that U-235 is responsible for fission
1939	September 1, 1939 World War II begins.
Oct 1939	Leo Szilard, Einstein signs a letter to President Roosevelt

March 1940	Otto Frisch and Rudolph Peierls calculate critical mass of U-235
March 1940	Dunning conducts neutron fission experiment with U-235 Alfred Nier at his mass spectrograph which he used to separate a sample of U-235.
Sum. 1940	Gaseous diffusion separation of U-235 - Diagram
1941	Vannevar Bush leads a gropus to study feasibility of fission in a bomb.
1941	E. O. Lawrence begins contemplating the electromagnetic separation of uranium isotopes. - Diagram
Spring 1941	Glenn Seaborg discover Plutonium and determine it to be fissionable like U-235 - Second article
Sept. 1941	Fermi's first reactor pile fails
Dec. 1941	Time tables for bomb construction. Research contracts for isotope separation.
Jan 1942	Met Lab at U. of Chicago to concentrate on the fission reaction and the production of plutoinum.
Sept 1942	Gen. Leslie Goves put in charge of Manhatten project - construction. Buys a tract of land in Oak Ridge, Tenn.
Nov. 1942	Robert Oppenhiemer in charge of lab at Los Alamos New Mexico for the productioin of the bomb.
Dec. 2, 1942	First successful sustained fission reaction in Chicago - Fermi Eye Witness Account of first sustained fission chain reaction - Dec. 2, 1942, (Long Narrative Account) U. of Chicago Enrico Fermi
Jan. 1943	Land purchased at Hanford, Washington to build reactors to produce Pu
Feb 1943	Construction at Oak Ridge, Tennessee begins with the Y-12 electromagnetic Uranium separation plant.
April 1943	Design of the Gun assembly and the Implosion Method for the atomic bomb
Nov 1943	The X-10 reactor at Oak Ridge goes critical.
Feb 1944	Y-12 Electromagnetic Separation of Urnaium Isotopes - Uranium isotope separations- three types
April 44	First gram sized samples of plutionium arrive in Las Alamos
June 1944	Explosive lens system developed for the plutonium bomb second page
July 1944	Therrmal Diffusion method to enrich U-235 plant begins operation in 69 days
Sept 1944	Hanford reactors go critical
Jan 1945	K-25 Gaseous Diffusion Plant comes on line.
July 1945	50 Kg of enriched uranium sent to Los Alamos - enough for one bomb
April 1945	Full scale production of plutonium at Hanford - Properties of Plutonium Chemical Separation of Plutonium
July 16, 1945	First test of Atomic Bomb at the Trinity Site
August 6, 1945	Little Boy is dropped from the Enola Gay on the city of Hiroshima.
August 9, 1945	Fat Man is dropped from Bock's Car on the city of Nagasaki.