Arnold Orville Beckman | |
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Born | Cullom, Illinois, US | April 10, 1900
Died | May 18, 2004 | (aged 104)
Alma mater | |
Awards |
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Scientific career | |
Fields | Physical Chemistry |
Institutions | |
Doctoral advisor | Roscoe G. Dickinson |
External videos | |
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Scientists You Must Know: Arnold O. Beckman, "The fun, the heart of the thing, is in the technical aspects", Science History Institute | |
The Instrumental Chemist: The Incredible Curiosity of Arnold O. Beckman (trailer), Science History Institute | |
Harry B. Gray, How Arnold O. Beckman's Instrumental Voice Shaped Chemistry's History, Profiles in Chemistry, Science History Institute |
Arnold Orville Beckman (April 10, 1900 – May 18, 2004) was an American chemist, inventor, investor, and philanthropist. While a professor at California Institute of Technology, he founded Beckman Instruments based on his 1934 invention of the pH meter, a device for measuring acidity (and alkalinity), later considered to have "revolutionized the study of chemistry and biology".[1] He also developed the DU spectrophotometer, "probably the most important instrument ever developed towards the advancement of bioscience".[2] Beckman funded the Shockley Semiconductor Laboratory, the first silicon transistor company in California, thus giving rise to Silicon Valley.[3] After retirement, he and his wife Mabel (1900–1989) were numbered among the top philanthropists in the United States.[4]
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