Willard Libby

By: Emma Neuberger

Life

Willard Libby had a long, successful life. He was born in Grand Valley, Colorado, on the seventeenth of December in 1908 (“Libby, Willard Frank (1908-1980)”). Libby was the son of a farmer named Ora Edward Libby. His mother was Eva May Libby. He also had two brothers and two sisters. For the most part, this is what Libby's family consisted of (“Libby, Willard Frank.”).

Libby went to school in Sebastopol, California. He played football in high school, owning the nickname ‘Wild Bill’. His first interests were English, history, and literature. In Libby's junior year of school, he became interested in chemistry. His career in chemistry started at this moment in time (“Libby, Willard Frank.”).

In 1931, Libby graduated from school. He gained his Ph.D. in 1933 (“Libby, Willard Frank (1908-1980)”). Libby married Leonor Lucinda Hickey in 1940. Not long after his marriage, in 1945, Libby's wife gave birth to twin daughters. His daughters were his first and last born children and he also had a son who died as a child (“Libby, Willard Frank.”).

As time went on, Libby had eventually divorced his wife. He then married Leona Woods Marshall in 1966. After a long, fulfilling life in the world of science, Willard Libby retired in 1976 (“Willard Frank Libby Facts.”). Not too long after, on the eighth of September in 1980, Libby died in Los Angeles. It was a very tragic happening in the world of science (“Libby, Willard Frank (1908-1980)”).

Studies and People

Willard Libby was a U.S. chemist. He is best known for developing the technique of radiocarbon dating. Because of Libby, carbon 14 dating has established itself as a reliable dating technique (“Libby, Willard Frank (1908-1980)”). He had also worked under Harold C. Urey. One of the many people Libby was involved with (“Libby, Willard Frank.”).

Libby worked with E. C. Anderson to make radiocarbon dating a possibility (“Willard Frank Libby Facts.”). He also worked with physicist Edward Teller (“Willard Frank Libby / American Chemist.”). He studied under Gilbert Newton Lewis and Wendell M. Latimer (“Libby, Willard Frank.”). His method is now an important tool in archeology (“Willard Frank Libby Facts.”).

Libby pioneered the use of decay of the carbon 14 isotope. His work involved the identification, separation, and control of ‘heavy water’. It was very important in the building of the Hiroshima bomb (“Willard Frank Libby.”). His work was at some point interrupted by World War Two. It continued shortly after (“Willard Frank Libby / American Chemist.”).

From 1954 to 1959, Libby researched in the Geophysical Laboratory (“Willard Frank Libby Facts.”). He studied in chemistry, nuclear science, and radiochemistry. Aside from that, he also studied radiochemical dating, paleoarchaeology, and paleoanthropology. These are few of the many fields in chemistry (“Libby, Willard Frank.”).

Accomplishments

During his life, Willard Libby analyzed tree-ring samples from a.d. He also analyzed tree-ring dating. His radiation counter’s count rate was forty percent lower than modern carbon. Interesting samples were dated by Libby's group of scientists. They worked very well and hard on datings they had discovered (“Libby Uses Carbon 14 to Date Ancient Objects.”) .

Libby worked a lot with isotopes and isotope separation using the gaseous-diffusion method. He also devised a simpler method of isotope enrichment (“Willard Frank Libby Facts.”). Along with this, he used techniques to separate and concentrate uranium isotopes through gaseous-diffusion (“Willard Frank Libby.”). At some point he realized that cosmic rays produced traces of tritium. One of his many achievements (“Willard Frank Libby / American Chemist.”).

During the 1940s, Libby worked on the separation of uranium isotopes for producing fissionable uranium 238 for the atomic bomb. In 1947, he started an experiment in testing for radioactive carbon (“Libby, Willard Frank (1908-1980).”). He dated many things such as charcoal from a Stonehenge campsite (“Willard Frank Libby / American Chemist.”). Libby and his coworkers accurately dated ancient Egyptian relics. This was very helpful for many reasons (“Libby, Willard Frank (1908-1980).”).

Willard Libby decided to embrace the cause of peaceful nuclear use (“Willard Frank Libby.”). After the war, he returned his attention to carbon 14 (“Libby, Willard Frank (1908-1980).”). In his life, Libby worked on many important things like the top secret Manhattan project. This being a very great accomplishment (“Libby, Willard Frank.”).

More Accomplishments and Awards

In 1933, Willard Libby earned his doctorate (“Willard Frank Libby Facts.”). He moved to Columbia University, NY, to work on the development of the atomic bomb in 1941 (“Libby, Willard Frank (1908-1980).”). During 1945, Libby moved to the Enrico Fermi Institute of Nuclear Studies (“Willard Frank Libby Facts.”). Also in 1945, he became professor of chemistry at the University of Chicago’s Institute for Nuclear Studies. He moved to many different institutes and places during his life (“Libby, Willard Frank (1908-1980).”).

In the year 1954, Libby was appointed to the U.S. Atomic Energy Commission (“Libby, Willard Frank.”). He was a member of this group until 1959. Then in 1959, he returned to the University of California to become director of the Institute of Geophysics. Finally, during 1960, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for chemistry. This was his top accomplishment in life (“Libby, Willard Frank (1908-1980).”).

Libby received his University education at the University of California, Berkeley (“Libby, Willard Frank (1908-1980).”). He also received a Guggenheim fellowship to work at Princeton University (“Willard Frank Libby / American Chemist.”). During his lifetime, he served as Atomic Energy commissioner (“Libby, Willard Frank.”). Among many things, it turned out that he was right about methane from fresh sewage being radioactive. This being an interesting and helpful discovery (“Libby Uses Carbon 14 to Date Ancient Objects.”).

First, Libby had become an instructor, then an assistant professor. After this, he eventually became an associate professor. At age 36, Willard Libby became the youngest full professor at Chicago University in Chicago. It took him much hard work and time to achieve such great things (“Libby, Willard Frank.”).

Sources

“Libby Uses Carbon 14 to Date Ancient Objects.” Great Scientific Achievements. 526. n.p. : Salem Press, 1999. Science reference center. Web. 8 Feb. 2016.

“Libby, Willard Frank.” Complete Dictionary of Scientific Biography. 2008, Willard F. “Libby.” Encyclopedia of World Biography. 2004, world encyclopedia. 2005. “Libby, Willard Frank.” Encyclopedia.com. Highbeam Research, 2008. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

“Libby, Willard Frank (1908-1980).” Hutchinson Dictionary of Scientific Biography (2005): 1. Science Reference Center. Web. 8 Feb. 2016.

“Willard Frank Libby / American Chemist.” Encyclopedia Britannica Online. Encyclopedia Britannica. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

“Willard Frank Libby Facts.” Willard Frank Libby Facts. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.

“Willard Frank Libby.” Famous Scientists. Web. 17 Feb. 2016.