Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
FIGURE 2.5
Irving Langmuir (1881
e
1957).
deep, in which the hydrocarbon chains stand vertically on the water surface with the
COOH groups in contact with the water.' He was also the first to predict that hydro-
carbon chains are very flexible and that a fatty acid with a double bond (oleic acid)
occupies a larger cross sectional area and is more compressible than is a similar straight
chain saturated fatty acid (stearic acid). For his many contributions Langmuir was also
awarded the Franklin Medal in 1934, although ironically he did not mention Benjamin
Franklin in either his acceptance speech for the Medal, a later publication of the speech,
or his seminal 1917 paper. The surface science journal Langmuir is named after him.
Remarkably, Langmuir's iconic 1917 paper was the only one he ever published on lipid
monolayers.
Langmuir had a very long and, for the most part, distinguished career at General Electric.
However, in 1947 he dabbled in salting clouds to affect rain. In collaboration with the U.S.
military, they dropped 80 kg of dry ice into a hurricane that was safely off shore in the
Atlantic Ocean. Unfortunately the hurricane abruptly changed direction and came ashore
doing extensive damage in Georgia. To frustrate potential lawsuits, the U.S. military classi-
fied the data, burying evidence of the failed project for decades.
