0 Copyright 1987
American Chemical Society
JANUARY/FEBRUARY, 1987 VOLUME 3, NUMBER 1
Ed it oria 1s Second Birthday I cannot recall my second birthday but it is a real joy to note that our journal (yours and mine and all those who are going to join us in 1987) is “walking, talking and doing just fine”! Indeed, we could say that it is running if we consider that the November look at manuscript flow showed a 6490 increase over the previous year. Coming aboard as a new editor has certainly added another dimension to my education. It has dramatically illustrated a whole new set of appreciations: (1)My first appreciation was for the fine Arts, Art Adamson and Art Hubbard, who have worked hard and successfully to get Langmuir off the ground. (2) My second appreciation was for the staff of the Books and Journals Division for their warm cooperation, their experience, and their expertise and for the deluge of printed materials that rapidly began to crowd my office. (3) As the manuscripts have come in, I have gained a deeper appreciation for the devotion and technical expertise of my colleagues both as scientific contributors and as reviewers. It is a pleasure to be a part of this international community. (4) There are many other appreciations, too numerous to mention, but I must not overlook the valuable input we have received at the semiannual meetings of the Advisory Board, both from Advisory Board members and from the ACS staff who have joined us at those meetings. All of the editors have been pleased with the quality of the articles received and the depth of the reviews. We appreciate being part of a continuing ACS tradition. The basic philosophy of Langmuir has been set forth by my editorial colleagues in preceeding editorials. But we must constantly remind ourselves that Langmuir is intended to bring together all the many areas of surface and colloid chemistry, both theoretical and experimental. Important goals of the journal follow the contributions of
Irving Langmuir (paraphrased from Karol Mysels’ statement in the premiere issue): (1)new and original ideas that become obvious and basic truths; (2) broad scholarship and assiduously checked information; (3) simplicity and ingenuity, directed toward coherent understanding; (4) writing that is persuasive. The editors maintain a close liaison with the ACS Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry since it is our “home” division. We also feel especially close to the Journal of Physical Chemistry and the Journal of the American Chemical Society in the mandate of serving broad areas of chemistry. The time is right for Langmuir because of the growth and development in the area of surface and colloid chemistry. In 1976 the ACS Colloid Division identified nearly 1300 members but in 1986 the total had climbed to better than 2300 with the surge to double developing mainly in the last 5 years. Langmuir will grow but quality will be maintained. Editor Adamson has projected a page budget for 1987 that puts us close to the economics of publication where monthly issues might be considered. We would find this an unscheduled bonus if it occurs as we rededicate ourselves to the basic philosophy and mission of Langmuir described above. Finally, we should like to stress that it is your journal and that in the word “your” there is “our” as well. So we would welcome your comments as we grow into 1987. Are you satisfied with the format and content? What more would you desire to make Langmuir a more effective instrument of intellectual illumination and continuing education ?
Robert L. Rowell Associate Editor
Editor’s Note We do not burden our readers with frequent editorials, a policy that has not received any complaints! The first issue of the year is an appropriate place, however, for a look both at things past and things to come. The editorial by Rowell in is this vein.
We have been delighted to have Bob Rowell as a second Associate Editor. His presence has eased by burden considerably and, more importantly, is making a significant contribution to the scope and quality of the journal. As is true for many effective persons, Bob is a busy man. In
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addition to normal academic activities, he was Department Chairman until late this last summer and currently is Chairman of the ACS Division of Colloid and Surface Chemistry. I would like to call your attention to the material that follows this editorial. Professor Ken Sing has written a perceptive obituary on the late Stephen Brunauer. I knew Stephen well and sometimes referred to him as the "golden man". He liked the phrase. Following the obituary is a short posthumous paper by Brunauer. He had a burst of
energy not long before his final decline and had finished the draft of this paper, intending to submit it to Langwir. The manuscript was forwarded to me by his widow, Professor Dalma H. Brunauer. I have added the appropriate references and also a final comment. The tone and style of this paper very much Stephen Brunauer and I regard it as fitting that his last paper accompany the obituary.
Arthur Adamson Editor
Stephen Brunauer, 1903-1986
Stephen Brunauer, who died on July 6,1986, was undoubtedly one of the most highly respected surface scientists of our time. His professional career-hefore and after World War IIapanned a period of enormous change in the theory and practice of surface science. This was an era in which gas adsorption became a respectable discipline and Brunauer did much to bring about this change. Brunauer's childhood and youth were spent in Budapest, Hungary, under conditions of considerable hardship: his mother was a seamstress and his father was blind. He came to the United States in 1921to join an uncle who had a grocery store in New York. Life was still very difficult, but through determination and hard work, he gained his AB. degree in 1925 from Columbia University and his M.S. in 1929 from George Washington University, where he met Edward Teller. By that time he had already started work as a junior chemist for the US. Department of Agriculture and his long association with Paul H. Emmett had begun, their first joint papers on synthetic ammonia catalysts appearing in 1930. It was Dr. J. C. W. Frazer of Johns Hopkins University who was responsible for kindling Brunauer's interest in adsorption. In 1933, he successfully completed the Johns Hopkins Ph.D. program with the submission of a thesis entitled "Adsorption of Nitrogen on Iron Synthetic Ammonia Catalysts". This work led eventually to the development of the Point B method for surface area determination (Brunauer and Emmett, 1937) and of course, ultimately, to the Brunauer-Emmett-Teller (BET) and BrunauerDeming-Deming-Teller(BDDT) theories which 0743-7463/87/2403-02$01.50/0
appeared in 1938 and 1940, respectively. Much has been written about the strengths and weaknesses of the BET theory. (See Stephen Brunauer's accompanying paper, finished just a few days before his death.) Its practical utility is not in dispute, however, and it would be difficult to overemphasize the importance of the BET method, which is still by far the most widely used procedure for determining the surface area of porous and finely divided solids. By 1941, Dr.Brunauer's career was taking shape: he had gained modest promotion within the Department of Ag; riculture (to the grade of chemist) and the importance of his work was internationally recognized. After the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, he decided to go to war, hut even this could not be accomplished without perserverance. In 1942, he was given a commission in the U S ; Naval Reserve and, within a few months, found himself head of high explosives research and development in the world's largest navy! His account of his wartime relationship with Albert Einstein makes fascinating reading. He recruited Einstein as a Navy consultant-at the rate of $25 per day. Their close association proved to be highly successful and a happy experience for both. Einstein was evidently proud of his Naval connection and relieved to find that his iob did not require a Navy haircut! In 1946, Stephen Brunauer received his honorable discharge from the Navy but maintained responsibility for Naval high explosives research in the Bureau of Ordnance. However, in 1951 his career again underwent a marked change of direction with his move to the Portland Cement Association, where he became Manager of basic research. There followed a highly successful and productive period of applied research in collaboration with the late Dr. L. E. Copeland and a number of other distinguished scientists. Brunauer brought a fresh approach to the study of the microstructure of h d e n e d cement paste which revived interest in the porosity of Portland cement and stimulated research in other laboratories. The final phase in Dr. Brunauer's career began in 1965 with his appointment as Chairman of the Chemistry Department of Clarkson College of Technology (now Clarkson University). He also became the first Director of the Clarkson Institute of Colloid and Surface Chemistry. This provided an opportunity to combine his research interests in gas adsorption and the study of cements and other porous materials. The next eight years were a happy and fruitful period during which Brunauer, Mikhail, Bodor, and others developed their procedures for pore structural analysis from adsorption isotherm data. This work has attracted mueh attention and is still the subject of fierce debate among surface scientists. Professor Brunauer remained active for a number of years after his retirement in 1973, when he was given the title of Clarkson Professor Emeritus, specifically created for him. He maintained a keen and perceptive interest in 0 1987 American Chemical Society
