Isadore Perlman (April 12, 1915 – August 3, 1991) was an American nuclear chemist noted for his research of Alpha particle decay. [1] [2] [3] [4] The National Academy of Sciences called Perlman "a world leader on the systematics of alpha decay".[2] He was also recognized for his research of nuclear structure of the heavy elements.[2] He was also noted for his isolation of Curium, [5] [6] as well as for fission of tantalum, bismuth, lead, thallium and platinum. [7] Perlman discovered uses of radioactive iodine and phosphorus for medical purposes.[2] He played a key role in Manhattan Project's plutonium production.[2]

Isadore Perlman
Perlman in 1964
BornApril 12, 1915
DiedAugust 3, 1991
Known forResearch on alpha decay
Scientific career
FieldsNuclear chemistry

Neutron activation analysis

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He was also a top expert in the field of archaeometry. He pioneered high-precision methods of neutron activation analysis at the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory in the US. Neutron activation analysis helps to determine the origin of ancient pottery and other artifacts through the analysis of the clay from which they were made. He was helped in the project by another noted scientist Frank Asaro. Second millennium BC pottery known as Cypriot Bichrome ware was one of the first archaeological projects that Perlman and Asaro undertook.

Recognition

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Perlman was a member of the National Academy of Sciences,[2][8] a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences,[2] a member of the Danish Royal Academy,[2] chairman of the Department of Chemistry of the University of California, Berkeley,[2] head of the Nuclear Chemistry Division and an associate director of the Lawrence Radiation Laboratory.[2]

Legacy

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In 2006, Perlman's former student and collaborator Frank Asaro transferred archives of their work at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory to the University of Missouri Research Reactor Center with the request that they transcribe these data and share them with the scientific community. After more than a decade, a (nearly) comprehensive archive of the work of Asaro, Perlman, and Michel on the geochemistry of archaeological and geological samples was produced by Matthew T. Boulanger.[9] This archive was provided to the scientific community via the Digital Archaeological Record (tDAR). The knowledge and experiences gained through working with these records has been used to recommend best practices to modern laboratories producing similar data to ensure that they remain useful into the future.[9][10]

Notable awards

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Chronology

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References

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  1. ^ Isadore Perlman; Nuclear Chemist, Expert on Alpha Particle Decay;August 09, 1991
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Isadore Perlman; by Glenn T. Seaborg and Frank Asaro
  3. ^ "The Array of Contemporary American Physicists:Isadore Perlman". Archived from the original on 2016-03-06. Retrieved 2012-01-09.
  4. ^ University of California:In Memoriam
  5. ^ New York Times: Outstanding Events of 1947, Isadore Perlman in isolating curium, the heaviest known chemical element and the most violently radioactive;By WALDEMAR KAEMPFFERT;December 28, 1947,
  6. ^ New York Times:Curium, Man-Made Element 96, Is Isolated in Visible Quantity; Chemists at City Session Hear of the Violently Radioactive Solid -- Photo of Glowing Salt Solution Is Displayed ELEMENT CURIUM VISIBLY ISOLATED;By WILLIAM L. LAURENCE;September 17, 1947,
  7. ^ New York Times:Ratio of Elements in Stars Found To Vary -- Speedboat Design;September 14, 1947,
  8. ^ New York Times:SCIENCE ACADEMY BACKS ENGINEERS; Supports Plan to Establish Co-Equal Organization; By WALTER SULLIVAN Special to The New York Times;Fabian Bachrach;April 24, 1963
  9. ^ a b Boulanger, Matthew T. (2013). "Salvage Archaeometry: Lessons Learned from the Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory Archaeometric Archives". The SAA Archaeological Record. 13 (1): 14–19.
  10. ^ Boulanger, Matthew (2016-12-08), Hunt, Alice (ed.), "Recycling Data: Working with Published and Unpublished Ceramic Compositional Data", The Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Ceramic Analysis, Oxford University Press, pp. 72–84, doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780199681532.013.6, ISBN 978-0-19-968153-2, retrieved 2022-10-07
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