NORRISH_RONALD_GEORGE_WREYFORD_v2
CSAC 86/4/82 CONTEMPORARY SCIENTIFIC ARCHIVES CENTRE British National Committee for the History of Science, Medicine and Technology under the guidance of the Royal Society’s Catalogue of the papers of RONALD GEORGE WREYFORD NORRISH, FRS (1897 - 1978) Deposited in the University Library, Cambridge Compiled by: Jeannine Alton Julia Latham- Jackson All rights reserved 1982 R.G.W. Norrish CSAC 86/4/82 The work of the Contemporary Scientific Archives Centre, and the production of this catalogue, are made possible by the support of the following societies and institutions: The Anatomical Society of Great Britain and Ireland The Biochemical Society The British Pharmacological Society The Charles Babbage Foundation for the History of Information Processing The Institute of Physics The Institution of Electrical Engineers The Nuffield Foundation The Physiological Society The Royal Society of London R.G.W. Norrish CSAC 86/4/82 LIST OF CONTENTS GENERAL INTRODUCTION SECTION A BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL A.1 - A.9 SECTION 8B DIARIES AND NOTEBOOKS SECTION C NOTES, DRAFTS, LECTURES, CORRESPONDENCE INDEX OF CORRESPONDENTS R.G.W. Norrish CSAC 86/4/82 GENERAL INTRODUCTION This small manuscript collection represents all that survives of Norrish's distinguished career. The material was received by courtesy of Sir Frederick Dainton and Professor B.A. Thrush, joint authors of the Royal Society Memoir of Norrish (Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 27, 1981), to whom we are also grateful for information about some of the items (see especially C. 2). The collection consists of correspondence received by Dainton and Thrush while they were working on the Memoir, a few school and undergraduate diaries and notebooks, and some rather miscellaneous notes, drafts and correspondence. These include a complete draft for a very early (1922) unpublished paper on 'Colour and Atomic Constitution ...' (C.1) and some interesting notes on disassociation, ¢.1930 (C.2), which hundreds (C.7). nineteen thirties. | The surviving correspondence owes its survival to chance illustrate the basis of much of Norrish's classical photochemical work in the Norrish's school chemistry set is in the Science Museum, South rather than merit and in any case is very sparse, although there are a few interesting letters which reflect on Cambridge chemistry in the early nineteen Kensington, London. R.G.W. Norrish CSAC 86/4/82 SECTION A A.1 BIOGRAPHICAL AND PERSONAL A.1 - A.9 Copies of 2 obituaries of Norrish including one from The Times. Offprint of Royal Society Memoir of Norrish by Sir Frederick Dainton and B.A. Thrush. Letters received by Dainton and Thrush in reply to requests for reminiscences of Norrish from former colleagues and students. In alphabetical order. A-B C-=K L-O P-S Correspondence between Thrush and Dainton re the Memoir, August-September 1978. Draft for speech of thanks at award of Honorary D.Sc. by Sheffield University, 1965. Book of signatures presented to Norrish on his retire- ment as Professor of Physical Chemistry at Cambridge in 1965. Miscellaneous photographs and printed matter. R.G.W. Norrish CSAC 86/4/82 SECTION B DIARIES AND NOTEBOOKS _ B.1 - B.7 Hard cover Perse School exercise book labelled 'R. Norrish. Electricity’. [Vth Form. Science. Magnetism and Pocket diary, 1919. Brown notebook labelled 'R.G.W. Norrish. College. of experiments, January-May 1919. Emmanuel Jan. 1919', containing accounts Chemistry. Cambridge Pocket Diary for the academic year 1919-20. Cambridge Pocket Diary, 1920-21. Pale green notebook labelled ‘Analytical Chemistry. Volumetric and Gravimetric Estimations. Analysis. Cambridge’. 1920-21. Organic Emmanuel College Contains accounts of experiments, R.G.W. Norrish. Pages are numbered 1-80 and Entries include: (p. 1ff). Notes on 'Organisation of Research’ (p.47ff). Notes on 'Radiation Chemistry [From Report by N. Miller Montreal ]' ‘Notes on Lecture given by Dr. G.T. Seaborg at the Chalk River Laboratory on 19.12.45.' (p.37ff). Small black notebook containing notes on the literature and on lectures and papers, apparently taken during a visit to U.S.A. in 1945. most of the notebook is filled. (p. 51ff). Notes on 'ZEEP - Zero Energy Experimental Pile’ R.G.W. Norrish CSAC 86/4/82 SECTION C NOTES, DRAFTS, LECTURES, CORRESPONDENCE C.1 - C.12 See also A.8. ‘Colour and Atomic Constitution from the point of view of the Lewis Langmuir Theory of the arrangement of electrons in atoms and molecules by R.G.W. Norrish B.A. College.’ Emmanuel 1 March 1922. 24pp. ms. draft, explains that the paper is intended as an expansion of a short article published in Chemical News, 124, January 1922 (Norrish's first published paper). The preface 7pp. ms. notes on predissociation, c.1930. These are the 'private jottings' referred to by Dainton and Thrush (Memoir, pp.386, 388) which document the thoughts behind some of Norrish's classical photochemical work in the nineteen thirties. 'Science Teaching in School and University. ' Bundle of ms. notes, originally kept with C.3. Consists of 2 paginated sequences (1-3, 1-26) for lecture on the position of women in science, n.d. but perhaps 1950s. 9 pp. typescript of lecture given to the Cambridge Junior Branch of the Association of Scientific Workers, 6 May 1943. Some loose ms. notes which were originally kept with the lecture have been transferred to C.4. Folder labelled 'Lecture on Cambridge and Physical Chemical [sic ] Laboratory 1953, and typescript notes and drafts on various aspects of the history of physical chemistry in Cambridge for students attending Summer Schools at the Physical Chemistry Laboratory. in the folder at C.5. 1956' containing ms. See also C.6. 30pp. typescript lecture on history of Cambridge University and the Physical Chemistry Laboratory, originally contained R.G.W. Norrish CSAC 86/4/82 Notes, drafts, lectures, correspondence Envelope labelled 'Letters of H.O. Jones, T. Andrewes'. These are dated 1908 (3 letters) and 1900 respectively and were presumably kept by Norrish because of their interest for the history of Cambridge Chemistry. The letter from Andrewes (to G.D. Liveing) documents the presentation of a spectroscope to the Cambridge University Chemical Laboratory. The letters from H.O. Jones (to Heycock) contain several references to the building of a new laboratory. The envelope also contains a letter in German, 1932, from R. Willstétter to M. Lowry. Folder labelled 'The Future of Chemistry in Cambridge’ containing memoranda and correspondence by Norrish and others, 1962-64, on the proposed development of the Department of Physical Chemistry after Norrish's retirement in 1965. Some printed matter is also included in the folder. Contents of folder labelled 'Fireballs' containing notes, drafts and correspondence re proposed letter to the New Scientist, 1967. Ms. and typescript drafts of letter, headed 'Fire-balls and "Flying Saucers"' and dated January 1967. Comments by colleagues on Norrish's draft letter. Includes a letter from Sir William Pope, 1935, which appears to have been put into the folder in error, and a letter from the Editor of the New Scientist, February 1966. address to the Society, 26 September 1972. Folder labelled 'Russia, Yugoslavia RGWN' containing a letter from Norrish to Dainton describing his visit to Belgrade for the 75th anniversary celebrations of the Serbian Chemical Society with ms. and typescript of his Miscellaneous ms. notes and calculations (not all Norrish's hand). In original folder. in R.G.W. Norrish CSAC 86/4/82 INDEX OF CORRESPONDENTS ANDREWES, Thomas AXFORD, Douglas W. E. BALDWIN, Roy R. BENGOUGH, W. _ lvor BERRIMAN, Jack BORRELL, Pat BOWEN, Edmund John BiGKien, Es. J. CALDER, Nigel David Ritchie CALLEAR, Anthony B. CARRUTHERS, John E. DAINTON, : Sir Frederick (Sydney) DAVIES, Mansel S N N N N N C O B D N I . 2 6 S & S a e o e e e e e EMELEUS, Harry Julius GRAY, Peter LEWIS, Bernard a e I e o e e P KEMBALL, Charles JONES; HH. Ov HILL, Robert ( Robin) MULLINS, Brian Percival KONDRATIEV, Victor N. GAYDON, Alfred Gordon ROTHSCHILD, Nathaniel Mayer NICHOLSON, Anthony J. POPE, Sir WilliamJackson OLDERSHAW, Geoffrey A. e r o S PRICE, William Charles N O W O H W R F R F R B R B h k PORTER, Sir George NOYES, W._ Albert Victor, Baron STEVENS, Guy O o n N n n a e m C. R.G.W. Norrish CSAC 86/4/82 Index of correspondents STONE, Anthony THRUSH, Brian Arthur TODD, Alexander Robertus, Baron WILLSTATTER, Richard