Emmett, Paul

Ciapetta, Frank G. Dobres, Robert M. Baker, R. W. In "Catalysis-Alkylation Isomerization, Polymerization, Cracking, and Hydroforming", Emmett, Paul H., Ed.,... 

By Linus Pauling and Paul H. Emmett Rbcbivbd February 10, 1025 Pubushbd April 4, 1025... 

Catalysis has lost a great leader. For over 60 years the creative genius of Paul Hugh Emmett challenged and stimulated the catalysis community worldwide. The techniques he developed and the mechanistic studies he directed have been vitally important in transforming catalysis from an empirical art into a highly sophisticated science. Loved and admired by all who knew him, Paul Emmett is remembered as a pioneer whose guidance will be sorely missed. 

For the next eleven years (1944-1955), Emmett directed the Gulf Oil-sponsored Multiple Petroleum Fellowship at the Mellon Institute in Pittsburgh. In 1955 Emmett returned to Hopkins, but this time as the W. R. Grace Professor of Chemistry there he remained until his retirement in 1971. His last 14 years were spent back in his beloved state of Oregon, where he held the title of Research Professor at the Portland State University. Dr. Emmett died on April 22, 1985. He is survived by his wife, Mrs. Pauline Pauling Emmett. 

Paul Emmett is best known for the leading role he played in developing, along with Steven Brunauer and Edward Teller, the BET theory for measuring the surface area of porous materials. This fundamental technique laid the foundation which ushered in the modem era of catalysis in the mid-1930s. 

Nor did catalytic cracking escape the probing attention of Paul Emmett. At Johns Hopkins his students used labeled molecules extensively to examine the nature of secondary reactions in the cracking of cetane over amorphous silica-alumina and crystalline zeolites. They demonstrated that small olefins (e.g., propylene) are incorporated extensively into higher-molecular-weight molecules, especially aromatics, and are the primary source of coke formation on these catalysts. 

A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Paul Emmett received numerous honorary degrees, awards, and medals in the United States, Europe, and Japan. His name has been immortalized through the Paul H. Emmett Award in Fundamental Catalysis administered by the Catalysis Society of North America. With over 150 research publications during his lifetime, Emmett was for 10 years an associate editor of the Journal of the American Chemical Society. His membership in the ACS spanned over 60 years, and he served as a Councilor from the Pittsburgh section during the early 1950s. Emmett attended the very first Gordon Research Conference in 1931 and occupied a front row seat at each of the GRC Conferences on Catalysis until his death. Twice he served as chairman of that annual conference. 

One of the most notable attributes about Paul Emmett was his incredible memory. He was literally a walking encyclopedia of useful references from the chemical literature. This in-depth knowledge caused him to be in great demand as a consultant. Those of us who had the opportunity to study under the tutelage of this creative man will always remember and appreciate the personal interest he... 

Petee J. Debye ASSOCIATE EDITOR Paul B. Weisz Paulsboro, N. J. ADVISORY BOARD P. H. Emmett W. E. Garner... 

Paul Emmett Fixed Nitrogen Laboratory Ammonia synthesis... 

A former recipient of the Kendall Award, Paul Hugh Emmett, is flanked on each... 

The first is the name of my first boss, the first chemist who befriended me, the first man with whom I collaborated, and the first man who made me interested in surface chemistry—Paul Emmett. I owe more to Paul Emmett than I can say here, and I wish to acknowledge it with deep appreciation. 

In order to save money, Pauling shared a bed with Paul Emmett, an OAC friend who was also attending Caltech. They used it in sequence, with Emmett sleeping until... 

Pauling returned from the laboratory and finished writing his daily letter to Ava Helen at around three o clock in the morning, then Pauling turning in while Emmett got up to study. 

It all started in 1938 when Temkin first applied transition state theory to heterogeneous catalysis. Soon after, he published with V. Pyzhev one of the most frequently cited papers in catalytic ammonia synthesis. Since both Mikhail Temkin and Paul Emmett had a profound influence on the theory and practice of this famous reaction, it seems proper to quote here Emmett s assessment of the 1939-1940 paper of Temkin and Pyazhev. ... 

The authors acknowledge the financial support of the Hewlett-Packard Co., the Center for Adhesive and Sealant Science at Virginia Tech, and the Adhesive and Sealant Council Education Foundation. We also thank Paul Reboa, Marshall Field, Dan Pullen, Dave Markel, Jim McKinnel, and Josh Smith of the Hewlett-Packard Co. for all of their work. We acknowledge the help of Prof David A. Dillard, Prof John G. Dillard, Jim Coulter, Sandra Case, Jeremy Lizotte, Scott Trenor, and Doug Crowson of Virginia Tech. In addition, we extend our appreciation to Prof Kai-tak Wan of the University of Missouri at Rolla. Emmett O Brien thanks Tom Seery, Christopher White, and Jonathan Martin for funding during the preparation of this manuscript. 

The present curve does not show the maximum found by the previous authors at — 78°C. Private communication from Dr. Paul Emmett indicates that the possible explanation for this is that the reduction procedure here employed may have failed to reduce the iron in those areas where the low temperature chemisorption of hydrogen occurs. According to Emmett these areas are only uncovered by reduction at around 500 C. in a rapid stream of hydrogen freed from oxygen and well dried before passing into the reduction zone. The data in Fig. 7 do, however, show that from room temperature upwards there is alwa s evidence of desorption on raising the temperature followed by readsorption, and the... 

---