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Henry Edward Armstrong
(6 May 1848 - 13 Jul 1937)
English organic chemist.
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Science Quotes by Henry Edward Armstrong (11 quotes)
[Professor W.L. Bragg asserts that] In sodium chloride there appear to be no molecules represented by NaCl. The equality in number of sodium and chlorine atoms is arrived at by a chess-board pattern of these atoms; it is a result of geometry and not of a pairing-off of the atoms.
— Henry Edward Armstrong
In Henry E. Armstrong, 'Poor Common Salt!', Nature (1927), 120, 478.
After all, we scientific workers … like women, are the victims of fashion: at one time we wear dissociated ions, at another electrons; and we are always loth to don rational clothing; some fixed belief we must have manufactured for us: we are high or low church, of this or that degree of nonconformity, according to the school in which we are brought up—but the agnostic is always rare of us and of late years the critic has been taboo.
— Henry Edward Armstrong
'The Thirst of Salted Water or the Ions Overboard', Science Progress (1909), 3, 643.
His motion to the meeting of the Council of the Chemical Society:
That henceforth the absurd game of chemical noughts and crosses be tabu within the Society's precincts and that, following the practice of the Press in ending a correspondence, it be an instruction to the officers to give notice “That no further contributions to the mysteries of Polarity will be received, considered or printed by the Society.” His challenge was not accepted.
That henceforth the absurd game of chemical noughts and crosses be tabu within the Society's precincts and that, following the practice of the Press in ending a correspondence, it be an instruction to the officers to give notice “That no further contributions to the mysteries of Polarity will be received, considered or printed by the Society.” His challenge was not accepted.
— Henry Edward Armstrong
From the personal and other items column of Chemistry and Industry (1925), 44, 1050.
Hypotheses like professors, when they are seen not to work any longer in the laboratory, should disappear.
— Henry Edward Armstrong
Sir Harold Hartley, 'Henry Armstrong', in Studies in the History of Chemistry (1971), 199.
I notice that, in the lecture … which Prof. Lowry gave recently, in Paris … he brought forward certain freak formulae for tartaric acid, in which hydrogen figures as bigamist … I may say, he but follows the loose example set by certain Uesanians, especially one G. N. Lewis, a Californian thermodynamiter, who has chosen to disregard the fundamental canons of chemistry—for no obvious reason other than that of indulging in premature speculation upon electrons as the cause of valency…
— Henry Edward Armstrong
'Bigamist Hydrogen. A Protest', Nature (1926), 117, 553.
Imagination and even sentiment play an important part in chemistry, and that if too narrowly and rigidly interpreted, facts may become very misleading factors.
— Henry Edward Armstrong
In article 'Chemistry', Encyclopedia Britannica (1902), 714.
In the case of elements, as in that of individuals, the determination of character is often attended with very great difficulty, a true estimate being only slowly arrived at, and when at last such an estimate is found, it can only be very partially expressed in words.
— Henry Edward Armstrong
In The Encyclopaedia Britannica: Ninth Edition (1877), Vol. 5, 714.
Many will, no doubt, prefer to retain old unsystematic names as far as possible, but it is easy to see that the desire to avoid change may carry us too far in this direction; it will undoubtedly be very inconvenient to the present generation of chemists to abandon familiar and cherished names, but nevertheless it may be a wise course to boldly face the difficulty, rather than inflict on coming generations a partially illogical and unsystematic nomenclature.
— Henry Edward Armstrong
'International Conference on Chemical Nomenclature', Nature (19 May 1892), 46, 57.
The establishment of the periodic law may truly be said to mark a line in chemical science, and we anticipate that its application and and extension will be fraught With the most important consequences. It reminds us how important above all things is the correct determination of the fundamental constants of our science—the atomic weights of the elements, about which in many cases great uncertainty prevails; it is much to be desired that this may not long remain the case. It also affords the strongest encouragement to the chemist to persevere in the search for new elements.
— Henry Edward Armstrong
In The Encyclopaedia Britannica: Ninth Edition (1877), Vol. 5, 714.
The fact is the physical chemists never use their eyes and are most lamentably lacking in chemical culture. It is essential to cast out from our midst, root and branch, this physical element and return to our laboratories.
— Henry Edward Armstrong
'Ionomania in Extremis', Chemistry and Industry (1936), 14, 917.
When the chemist makes gloves, he usually cannot help making them in pairs for both hands.
— Henry Edward Armstrong
'The Origin of Life: A Chemist’s Fantasy', Science Progress (1912), 7, 318.
See also:
- 6 May - short biography, births, deaths and events on date of Armstrong's birth.
In science it often happens that scientists say, 'You know that's a really good argument; my position is mistaken,' and then they would actually change their minds and you never hear that old view from them again. They really do it. It doesn't happen as often as it should, because scientists are human and change is sometimes painful. But it happens every day. I cannot recall the last time something like that happened in politics or religion.
(1987) -- 
