The Scientific Papers of C. P. Snow

Obituary notice, New York Times, 2 July 1980.

Appendix, 4.3, pp. 45–46.

The scientific papers are listed in Appendix, 1.

Condon E. U. , “Nuclear motion associated with electronic transitions in diatomic molecules”, Physical review, xxxii (1928), 858–72.

Hund F. , “Molecular spectra”, Zeitschrift für Physik, li (1928), 759–95.

Mulliken R. S. , “Assignment of quantum numbers for electrons in molecules”, Physical review, xxxii (1928), 761–72.

Hill E. and Van Vleck J. H. , “Rotational distortion of multiplets in molecular structure”, Physical review, xxxii (1928), 250–72. Van Vleck J. H. , “σ-Type doubling and electron spin”, Physical review, xxxiii (1929), 467–506.

Raman C. V. and Krishnan K. S. , “A new class of spectra due to secondary radiation”, Indian journal of physics, ii (1928), 399–419.

Imes E. S. , “Measurement on the near-infrared absorption of some diatomic gases”, Astrophysical journal, 1 (1919), 251–76. Colby W. F. Meyer C. F. and Bronk D. W. , “An extension of the fundamental infrared absorption band of hydrogen chloride”, ibid., lvii (1923), 7–19.

Rasetti F. , “The rotational Raman spectrum of nitrogen and oxygen”, Zeitschrift für Physik, lxi (1930), 598–601.

Appendix, 1.1.

Appendix, 1.2–1.5.

Randall H. M. and Imes E. S. , “Fine structure of the infrared absorption bands of HCl, HBr and HF”, Physical review, xv (1920), 152–5.

Barker E. F. and Meyer C. F. , “Infrared spectra of gases under high dispersion”, Transactions of the Faraday Society, xxv (1929), 912–21.

This result was not new, given that a contour of the fundamental band was available from Lowry E. F. , “The infrared absorption spectrum of CO”, Journal of the Optical Society of America, viii (1924), 647–58.

See ref. 6.

See ref. 7.

Gilette R. H. and Eyster E. H. , “The fundamental rotation-vibration band of nitric oxide”, Physical review, lvi (1939), 1113–19.

Appendix, 1.6.

The practice that papers were “communicated” to this journal by an established scientist — a form of peer review which was already an anachronism in 1930 — survived into the 1960s. By that time most authors “communicated” their own papers, and the formality was dropped.

Appendix, 1.8.

In an interview given in 1980 (Appendix, 4.3, p. 17) Snow remarked: “Infrared work… had been done very well but without much instinct, I think it's fair to say, at the University of Michigan…. In my opinion they didn't make the best use of the results when they got them.” This is a breathtaking assessment when one realizes that, for N₂O, Barker at the University of Michigan got things right, whereas Snow got practically everything wrong. Likewise, the paper presented to the Faraday Society Discussion by Barker and Meyer (loc. cit., ref. 14) shows considerably greater insight into the physics of vibration-rotation spectroscopy than Snow's contribution to the same meeting (Appendix, 1.1). Owing to his death a few months later Snow may not have had the opportunity to edit this conversation.

Fermi E. , “The Raman effect in carbon dioxide”, Zeitschrift für Physik, lxxi (1931), 250–9.

It is strange that Snow did not consider that the ripple might be due to interference. A 2 cm⁻¹ wave in the rotational envelope could rationally be explained by interference, possibly caused by a 6–7 mm rocksalt window somewhere in the optical path. The window which sealed the thermocouple housing may have been the culprit.

Plyler E. K. and Barker E. F. , “The infrared spectrum and molecular configuration of N₂O”, Physical review, xxxviii (1931), 1827–36.

Appendix, 4.3, p. 17.

Tabor D. , “Frank Philip Bowden”, Biographical memoirs of fellows of the Royal Society, xv (1969), 1–38.

Bernal J. D. , “Properties and structures of crystalline vitamins”, Nature, cxxix (1932), 721. The mercurial Bernal appears as Constantine in The search (Appendix, 4.3, p. 73).

Appendix, 1.11.

The Times (London), Friday (!), 13 May 1932, p. 11. At this point Bowden and Snow had total confidence in their conclusions, stating: “The most striking results were obtained with vitamin A. [The fact] that carotene absorbs ultraviolet rays … provided the eagerly sought solution to the problem of converting carotene into vitamin A.” Excerpts from other press reports are quoted by Philip Snow (Appendix, 4.2, p. 35).

Heilbron I. M. and Morton R. A. “Photochemistry of vitamins A, B, C, D”, Nature, cxxix (1932), 866–7.

The stipulation “under nitrogen” is not given in the preliminary account (Appendix, 1.11) but appears in the full paper of 1934 (Appendix. 1.17).

Karrer P. Morf R. and Schopp K. , “Towards a knowledge of vitamin A”, Helvetica chimica acta, xiv (1931), 1431–36.

Appendix, 4.3, p. 93. Philip Snow (Appendix. 4.2, p. 35) attributes the mistake to a “calculation [that] was faulty”, but this is incorrect. In fact, the device of a calculation error is imported from The search where it is used to account for Arthur Miles's alienation from research.

Appendix, 1.17.

See ref. 1.

See ref. 27.

By 1930, Rawlins had transferred to the Department of Mineralogy at Cambridge. He later found his vocation at the National Gallery in London, where he pioneered the application of scientific principles to the conservation and restoration of oil paintings.

Rawlins F. I. G. and Rideal E. K. , “Absorption spectra of aragonite and strontianite in the near infra-red”, Proceedings of the Royal Society, A, cxvi (1927), 140–52.

Bethe H. , “Term splittings in crystals”, Annalen der Physik, iii (1929), 133–208.

Appendix, 1.10, 1.14.

Saha M. N. , “Colours of inorganic crystals”, Nature, cxxv (1930), 163–4.

Deutschbein O. , “Significance of the linear emission and absorption of chromium phosphors”, Zeitschrift für Physik, lxxvii (1932), 489–504; idem, “Linear emission and absorption of chromium phosphors, I and II”, Annalen der Physik, xiv (1932), 712–54.

Sauer H. , “The line absorption of chrome alum crystals”, Annalen der Physik, lxxxvii (1928), 197–237.

See refs 43 and 41.

Appendix, 1.19.

Appendix, 1.20 and 1.21.

Dieke G. H. and Kistiakowsky G. B. , “Structure of the ultraviolet absorption spectrum of formaldehyde”, Physical review, xlv (1934), 4–28.

The partial rotational analysis develped by ES was confirmed in its essentials by Haner D. A. and Dows D. A. , “Electric-field induced spectra: Contour analysis of the 386 nm band of acrolein”, Journal of molecular spectroscopy, xxxiv (1970), 296–311.

Herzberg G. and Teller E. , “Vibrational structure of electronic transitions for polyatomic molecules”, Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie, B, xxi (1933), 410–46. By convention, spectroscopic selection rules are framed as if the nuclei were fixed in their equilibrium positions. However, unsymmetrical vibrations lower the symmetry of the electronic wavefunction, allowing transitions to occur that would be rigorously forbidden in the undistorted molecule. This form of vibrational-electronic interaction is known by the abbreviation vibronic coupling.

See ref. 49.

The work earned Eric Eastwood his Ph.D. in 1935. Eastwood followed a distinguished career in applied physics, becoming Director of Research for the General Electric/English Electric Companies in 1963. He was elected to the Royal Society in 1968, and was knighted in 1973.

Appendix, 1.22.

See ref. 48.

Death under sail (1932) was preceded by a novel (c. 1927) and a play, Nights ahead (c. 1929), which had small private circulation only.

Appendix, 4.3, p. 86.

Appendix, 4.3, p. 93.

Bezel N. , “Autobiography and the ‘Two cultures’ in the novels of C. P. Snow”, Annals of science, xxxii (1975), 555–71.

These publications are listed in Appendix, 4.1, pp. 14–16.