Henry Eyring | |
|---|---|
 Henry Eyring in 1951 | |
| Born | (1901-02-20)February 20, 1901 Colonia Juárez,Chihuahua, Mexico |
| Died | December 26, 1981(1981-12-26) (aged 80) Salt Lake City, Utah, United States |
| Alma mater | University of Arizona University of California, Berkeley |
| Known for | Transition state theory |
| Spouse(s) | Mildred Bennion; Winifred Brennan |
| Children | 3, includingHenry B. Eyring |
| Awards | Wolf Prize in Chemistry (1980) Priestley Medal (1975) Elliott Cresson Medal (1969) Irving Langmuir Award (1968) National Medal of Science (1966) Peter Debye Award (1964) William H. Nichols Medal (1951) Newcomb Cleveland Prize (1932) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Institutions | Princeton University University of Utah |
| Doctoral students | Keith J. Laidler J O Hirschfelder Walter Kauzmann John Calvin Giddings |
| Other notable students | John L. Magee |
Henry Eyring (February 20, 1901 – December 26, 1981) was aMexico-bornUnited States theoreticalchemist whose primary contribution was in the study ofchemical reaction rates and intermediates.Eyring developed the Absolute Rate Theory orTransition state theory of chemical reactions, connecting the fields of chemistry and physics through atomic theory, quantum theory, and statistical mechanics.[1]
Eyring, a third-generation member ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), was reared on a cattle ranch inColonia Juárez, Chihuahua, aMormon colony, for the first 11 years of his life. His father, Edward Christian Eyring, practicedplural marriage; Edward married Caroline Romney (1893) and her sister Emma Romney (1903), both daughters ofMiles Park Romney, the great-grandfather ofMitt Romney.[2]
In July 1912, the Eyrings and about 4,200 other immigrants were driven out of Mexico by violent insurgents during theMexican Revolution and moved toEl Paso, Texas. After living in El Paso for approximately one year, the Eyrings relocated toPima, Arizona, where he completedhigh school and showed a special aptitude formathematics andscience.[3] He also studied at Gila Academy inThatcher, Arizona, nowEastern Arizona College.[4] One of the pillars at the front of the main building still bears his name, along with that of his sister Camilla's husband,Spencer W. Kimball, laterpresident of the LDS Church.[5]
Eyring earned a BS in mining engineering at theUniversity of Arizona by working in a copper mine. He then received a fellowship from the US Bureau of Mines fellowship and earned his M.Sc. in metallurgy. Having seen the high rates of accidents in the mines, and breathed sulfur fumes from blast furnaces at a smelter, he chose to do his Ph.D. inchemistry. He pursued and received his doctoral degree in chemistry from theUniversity of California, Berkeley in 1927[3] for a thesis onA Comparison of the Ionization by, and Stopping Power for, Alpha Particles of Elements and Compounds.[6]
Princeton University recruited Eyring as an instructor in 1931. He would continue his work at Princeton until 1946. In 1946 he was offered a position asdean of the graduate school at theUniversity of Utah, with professorships in chemistry and metallurgy.[3] The chemistry building on the University of Utah campus is now named in his honor.[7]
A prolific writer, Eyring authored more than 600scientific articles, ten scientific books, and a few books on the subject of science and religion. He received theWolf Prize in Chemistry in 1980 and theNational Medal of Science in 1966 for developing the Absolute Rate Theory orTransition state theory of chemical reactions, one of the most important developments of 20th-century chemistry.[1]
Several other chemists later received theNobel Prize for work based on the Absolute Rate Theory, and his failure to receive the Nobel was a matter of surprise to many.[8] The Nobel Prize organization admitted that "Strangely, Eyring never received a Nobel Prize"; theRoyal Swedish Academy of Sciences apparently did not understand Eyring's theory until it was too late to award him the Nobel. The academy awarded him the Berzelius Medal in 1977 as partial compensation.[9]Sterling M. McMurrin believed Eyring should have received the Nobel Prize but was not awarded it because of his religion.[10]
Eyring was elected president of theAmerican Chemical Society in 1963 and theAssociation for the Advancement of Science in 1965.[11]
Eyring married Mildred Bennion. She was a native ofGranger, Utah, who had a degree from theUniversity of Utah and served as head of the physical education department there. She met Eyring while pursuing a doctorate at theUniversity of Wisconsin.[12] They had three sons together. The oldest, Edward M. "Ted" Eyring was an emeritus professor of chemistry at the University of Utah. The second son,Henry B. Eyring is ageneral authority of the LDS Church, while the youngest son Harden B. Eyring is a higher education administrator for the State of Utah. His wife, Mildred, died June 25, 1969, in Salt Lake City, Utah. On August 13, 1971, he married Winifred Brennan in the LDS Church'sSalt Lake Temple.
Eyring was a member of the LDS Church throughout his life. His views of science and religion were captured in this quote: "Is there any conflict between science and religion? There is no conflict in the mind of God, but often there is conflict in the minds of men."[13] Eyring also feared overeager defenders of faith would discard new scientific findings because of apparent contradictions. He encouraged parents and teachers to distinguish between "what they know to be true and what they think may be true," to avoid clumping them together and "throwing the baby out with the bath."[14]: 245–247
As a member of the LDS Church, Eyring served as abranch president,district president, and, for over twenty years, a member of the general board of theDeseret Sunday School Union. As of 2025, his son,Henry B. Eyring, is anapostle and member of the church'sFirst Presidency.
Henry Eyring authored, co-authored, or edited the following books or journals:
