2 Ν. Κ. Adam—Southampton Period
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M. C. PHILLIPS Unilever Research Laboratory C o l w o r t h / W e l w y n , W e l w y n , Herts., E n g l a n d
T h e Frythe,
In 1937, Ν. K. Adam accepted the Chair and Headship of the Department of Chemistry at the University College (later University) of Southampton. He held this position for 20 years, was one of the founding fathers of the university, and prepared it well for the advent of the present large and important School of Chemistry there. When Adam went to Southampton he joined a small, struggling, impoverished institution of uncertain future. Although the college had existed in some form since 1862, its career had been checkered. It had become a University College in 1902, and its students took the External London degrees although a number of them sat only for the two year teachers' training qualification and did not graduate. From 1937 until the end of World War II in 1945, the total academic staff of the chemistry department (including Adam) varied between five and six. Although the total number of fulltime day degree students was only about 40 before the war, the department also provided many evening classes for an additional 40 or more so-called technical students since the University College was then acting as the Technical College for South ampton; this arrangement continued well into the 1950's as far as chemis try was concerned. In 1937, the chemistry department occupied two single-story brick buildings; one contained the main general teaching laboratory plus stores, balance room, fume room, combustion room, the professor's laboratory/ room, and one other small research laboratory; the other contained the physical chemistry teaching laboratory, two research rooms, a darkroom, and a fair-sized departmental library room. The chemistry department also had two wooden army huts—one (grandly called the research hut) was only barely suitable as an apparatus store; the other, called the inter, hut, was used for elementary laboratory teaching of Intermediate B.Sc. standard, and its decrepitude almost defies description. The benches leaned this way and that on the crazy, hummocked wooden floor, and gas, water, and electric services were crude and unpredictable—a source 9
Goddard; Monolayers Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1975.
Downloaded by UNIV OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA on May 20, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 1, 1975 | doi: 10.1021/ba-1975-0144.ch002
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MONOLAYERS
of constant anxiety to the lecturer-in-charge and to the one storekeeperchief steward of the department and his youthful laboratory attendant. In addition to the laboratories, there were two raked lecture rooms and a small preparation room a short way distant on the first floor of the main college building. This situation when A d a m took over made it imperative that the new incumbent of the Chemistry Chair should devote much of his time and energy to planning a new chemistry building and generally to furthering the development and recovery of the college during a period of postdepression, financial restriction. Moreover, since A d a m had been virtually a fulltime research worker for most of his career until then, he had to prepare and to develop from scratch all the advanced lectures on physical chemistry (of which he gave the greater part). Also, as a scientist of international standing, he could not entirely escape all the time-consuming chores associated with such eminence. As a result, N . K.'s life had to take an almost entirely new direction, and so his activities were largely drawn away from personal research into the other fields indicated. B y the time he had coped with these changes, the outbreak of W o r l d W a r II once again imposed new restraints and new activities. The move to Southampton allowed him to pursue his interest in sailing and from 1937-39 he owned a small yacht i n which his wife and son accompanied him on weekend and holiday sailing in the Solent and nearby waters until the war made this impossible. During the war, purely academic research almost ceased, but in collaboration with the Chemical Defence Experimental Establishment at Porton D o w n , an extensive study of the vapor pressures of chemical warfare agents was undertaken in case these substances should be used by the enemy. B y 1945 a number of measuring devices able to cover the range of pressures from 10~ to 1000 mm of mercury were in operation at Southampton. A d a m arranged, superintended, and coordinated this work, but the design, construction, and operation of these instruments was mainly the work of E . W . Balson, a former student of the college and then a member of the chemistry staff. N . K.'s skill as a mechanic and glass blower as well as his extensive knowledge of classical physical chemistry was invaluable in this work, much of which was published ( 1 ) after the war. His experimental skill was also invaluable in other directions. W h e n the Southampton gas works was hit during the air raids, he obtained a huge cylinder of Propagas and connected it to the main laboratory gas supply. H e modified bunsen burners by covering the lower jets with hard wax, piercing a much smaller hole with a very fine sewing needle and replacing the barrels. Although the resulting flames were only moderate, they were reasonably hot and smoke free and enabled practical work to continue more effectively than with spirit lamps. 6
Goddard; Monolayers Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1975.
2.
PHILLIPS
Ν.
K. Adam—Southampton
Period
11
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The college was very fortunate not to suffer any major damage during the heavy air raids on Southampton, though cynics believed that the Luftwaffe, seeing below them the collection of near-derelict huts, thought the place had been blitzed already. After the war ended in 1945, the College expanded rapidly, and new and greatly enlarged plans were drawn up by Ν. K. for the permanent chemistry department building. It was providential that his earlier plans had to be shelved since they would have been inadequate for the ensuing rapid growth of the department which continues today. The first stage of the new plan—a large single-story laboratory to replace the inter, hut— was opened on an entirely new site in late September 1948; a considerable second stage, whose building was supervised by Adam, followed i n Sep tember 1952. These have since been overshadowed by a huge seven-story glass and concrete tower block designed and completed after Adam's time in 1962. Ν. K . enjoyed teaching, and during most of his time as professor he carried a lecture load which was very heavy by modern standards; it also included advanced lectures to evening or part-time day students at various periods as well as to fulltime day students. H e was impatient when students were inattentive or lazy during lectures. If he made a mistake on the blackboard and discovered it before any of the class members, he would give them a piece of his mind i n straight terms, ending up "If you don't correct my mistakes before I notice them myself, I shall start making them on purpose." H e was not pompous i n his deal ings with students as evidenced by the fact that he said one day to an unusually deferential student "You may call me Prof. Adam, Ν. K., or old cock, but my name is not 'Please Sir'." Ν. K . was concerned with educa tion, not with preparation for examinations. H e described some of the candidates for Southampton University Scholarship examinations in his later years as "little parrots," and any of their masters who requested copies of past papers to "spot" possible questions were likely to receive a very dusty answer. In 1947 A d a m was elected Dean of the Faculty of Science, a post of heavy administrative responsibilities that he held for 10 years until his retirement i n 1957. Two of his heaviest duties were to select from among ever-increasing numbers of applicants those for admission to courses i n the Science Faculty and to help draw up regulations for the faculty and for the now dawning University of Southampton, whose charter was granted i n A p r i l 1952. This followed a three-year period of "special rela tionship" with the University of London, during which boards of exam iners, which included some Southampton academic members and some from London, set the final examination papers i n some subjects for the
Goddard; Monolayers Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1975.
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MONOLAYERS
Southampton students who, however, were still awarded London degrees, as before. As perhaps befits a man born on G u y Fawkes day (November 5) Ν. K. had an explosive personality. However, his eruptions were usually short-lived, and peace was soon restored with a twinkle of the eye and an infectious chuckle; sometimes he would make peace with erstwhile savaged colleagues by bringing them a bag of cherries from the splendid tree i n his garden or even a useful bucket of compost or some other little offering. O n occasion, his patience was exhausted by the University administration. T o l d by the Principal of the old University College to be quiet in a Senate meeting, Ν. K. promptly replied: "I w i l l not be quiet, M r . Principal, I am a professor of this College and you are a mere adminis trator." History is silent on the sequel. H e might also leave an unneces sarily lengthy meeting with the announcement that Toy Town ( a popular children's radio program) was on at 5:15 p.m., and he was off home to listen. However, he always had the good of the university or his depart ment at heart, and he would attack vigorously any proposal he believed to be detrimental to these ends. Ν. K. and his wife were passionately fond of ducks. This interest spilled over into his everyday behavior. Thus, on passing a friendly colleague, he would nod gravely and say "Quack," or sometimes he might give a silent quack by apt use of thumb and forefinger. H e also used this technique during long-winded or boring meetings when he would look across the table to a sympathetic colleague and give the silent quack. Ν. K . did not continue his classical work on monomolecular films in Southampton but concentrated his personal research on detergency (2) and wetting (3). In view of the well-known saying "like water off a duck's back," it is intriguing that he should have concerned himself with water repellency. As part of a study (4) of the penetration or liquids into solids he concluded that: "the superlative water-repellence of ducks feathers is due, not to any miraculously water-repellent wax, but to the well-designed structure i n which the barbules are kept apart at nearly the theoretically ideal distance." Needless to say, he vented his dis pleasure in no uncertain way on the representatives of a detergent com pany who wanted to demonstrate the efficiency of their material by showing that a duck sank into a solution of the product. During the years before his retirement he prepared a large textbook (5), "Physical Chemistry," which was published in 1956. After his retire ment i n September 1957, Ν. K. continued his interest in surface science and still worked on projected revisions of his books as well as reviewing publications in the surface field and giving advice on surface problems. He spent much time also on a careful study of Christian Science and published several articles (6) on this subject.
Goddard; Monolayers Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1975.
2.
PHILLIPS
Ν. K. Adam—Southampton
Period
13
Downloaded by UNIV OF CALIFORNIA SANTA BARBARA on May 20, 2018 | https://pubs.acs.org Publication Date: June 1, 1975 | doi: 10.1021/ba-1975-0144.ch002
Professor A d a m and his wife (who died one month after he d i d ) were cremated at Southampton after Christian Science services. A large congregation attended a Memorial Service for h i m at Highfield Church, Southampton on October 10th, 1973. There is no doubt that he greatly loved his last University, and he is remembered with great affection and respect i n Southampton. Acknowledgment I am indebted to G . J . Hills for giving me access to an appreciation of Ν. K . A d a m which was recently prepared by members of the Chem istry Department at Southampton University. Literature Cited 1. Balson, E. W., Adam, Ν. K., "The Vapour Pressure of Lewisite," Trans. Faraday Soc. (1951) 47, 417. 2. Adam, Ν. K., Stevenson, D. G., "Detergent Action," Endeavour (1953) 12, 25. 3. Adam, Ν. K., "Principles of Water-Repellency," in "Waterproofing and Water-Repellency," J. L. Moilliet, Ed., p. 1, Elsevier, Amsterdam, 1963. 4. Adam, Ν. K., "Principles of Penetration of Liquids into Solids," Disc. Faraday Soc. (1948) 3, 5. 5. Adam, Ν. K., "Physical Chemistry," Clarendon Press, Oxford, 1956. 6. Adam, Ν. K., "A Christian Scientist's Approach to the Study of Natural Science" Christian Sci. J. (1962) 80, 225. RECEIVED January 24, 1975.
Goddard; Monolayers Advances in Chemistry; American Chemical Society: Washington, DC, 1975.
