Biography:Gilbert N. Lewis
| Gilbert N. Lewis
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 October 1875 Weymouth, Massachusetts, United States |
| Died | 23 March 1946 Berkeley, California, United States
|
| Known for | Term photon; Lewis structures; chemical bond; electron pairs |
Gilbert N. Lewis (1875-1946) was an American physical chemist. He introduced the term photon in 1926 for a quantum of light.
Photon naming
The physical idea of light quanta is strongly associated with Max Planck and Albert Einstein, but Lewis gave the quantum of light the name photon. The term became standard in quantum optics, quantum electrodynamics, and particle physics.
Lewis is also known for Lewis structures and the electron-pair view of chemical bonding, both important for connecting chemistry with quantum ideas.
Quantum Collection links
- Physics:Quantum photon
- Physics:Quantum Electrodynamics (QED)
- Physics:Quantum photoelectric effect
- Physics:Quantum chemical bond
References
- "Gilbert N. Lewis". https://www.britannica.com/biography/Gilbert-N-Lewis.
- "Gilbert Newton Lewis". https://www.sciencehistory.org/education/scientific-biographies/gilbert-newton-lewis/.
Author: Harold Foppele