The Contributions of James Moir to Physical Chemistry

Abstract

James Moir was a pioneering chemist in the early 1900s who played a leading role in various chemical societies in South Africa. Although he was mainly an organic chemist, he was a very good all-round chemist, whose analytical and organic activities have already been covered in this journal. This article examines his research in physical chemistry, covering the spectral analysis of the ruby and emerald gemstones, a detailed analysis of part of the Fraunhofer lines of the solar spectrum, and an examination of the spectra of cobalt compounds, the permanganate ion, and uranium compounds. Finally, as part of his inorganic and analytical investigations, he also delved into the physical chemistry aspects of solution chemistry, particularly the hydrolysis of the cyanide ion.

KEYWORDS :Physical chemistry, spectroscopy, ruby, solar spectrum, history of chemistry.