Emmett, Paul H. (Paul Hugh), 1900-1985

Paul Hugh Emmett was born in Portland, Oregon, on September 22, 1900. After completing his undergraduate degree at Oregon Agricultural College (now Oregon State University), Emmett attended the California Institute of Technology, where he earned his Ph. D. In 1937 he was appointed chair of the chemical engineering department at Johns Hopkins University. In 1943 he left Johns Hopkins to join the staff of the Manhattan Project, where he was instrumental in developing a technique for the separation of Uranium-235 from U-238. Following a residency at the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research, Emmett returned to Johns Hopkins in 1955 as the W.R. Grace Professor in the chemistry department. Paul Emmett discovered the B.E.T. formula for calculating the surface area of a material from the amount of gas it adsorbs, and he worked extensively with ammonia and iron nitride. After retirement, Emmett worked as a research professor at Portland State University, and undertook new research areas investigating the surface area of soils and the porosity of coals, and teaching advanced courses in catalysis. Paul Emmett died on April 22, 1985.

From the description of Paul Emmett papers, 1926-1982. (Eugene Public Library). WorldCat record id: 50620256

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