Harry Munroe Napier Hetherington Irving (19 November 1905 in

Oxford Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...

– 20 June 1993 in

Cape Town Cape Town ( af, Kaapstad; , xh, iKapa) is one of South Africa's three capital cities, serving as the seat of the Parliament of South Africa. It is the legislative capital of the country, the oldest city in the country, and the second largest ...

), often cited as H. M. N. H. Irving, was a British

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

Education

As a student as

The Queen's College, Oxford The Queen's College is a Colleges of the University of Oxford, constituent college of the University of Oxford, England. The college was founded in 1341 by Robert de Eglesfield in honour of Philippa of Hainault. It is distinguished by its pred ...

, Irving received a BA in 1928 and a

DPhil A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields. Because it is a ...

in 1930, the same year he received his

Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music Licentiate of the Royal Academy of Music (LRAM) is a professional diploma, or Licentiate (degree), licentiate, formerly open to both internal students of the Royal Academy of Music and to external candidates in voice, keyboard and orchestral instru ...

. In 1954, he was awarded a

DSc DSC may refer to: Academia * Doctor of Science (D.Sc.) * District Selection Committee, an entrance exam in India * Doctor of Surgical Chiropody, superseded in the 1960s by Doctor of Podiatric Medicine Educational institutions * Dalton State Col ...

Career

Irving was a

lecturer Lecturer is an List of academic ranks, academic rank within many universities, though the meaning of the term varies somewhat from country to country. It generally denotes an academic expert who is hired to teach on a full- or part-time basis. T ...

and demonstrator in chemistry at Oxford University from 1930 to 1961. He was also the Vice Principal of

St Edmund Hall St Edmund Hall (sometimes known as The Hall or informally as Teddy Hall) is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. The college claims to be "the oldest surviving academic society to house and educate undergraduates in any university ...

. During the 1940s he began research into coordination chemistry. In 1953, Irving and his doctoral student

Robert Williams Robert, Rob, Robbie, Bob or Bobby Williams may refer to: Entertainment Film * Robert Williams (actor, born 1894) (1894–1931), American stage and film actor * Robert B. Williams (actor) (1904–1978), American film actor * R. J. Williams (born ...

described a periodic trend now known as the Irving–Williams Series. Irving was

Professor Professor (commonly abbreviated as Prof.) is an Academy, academic rank at university, universities and other post-secondary education and research institutions in most countries. Literally, ''professor'' derives from Latin as a "person who pr ...

of Inorganic and Structural Chemistry at the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

between 1961 and 1971University of Leeds, Calendar, 1961-62, page 162
/ref> and Professor of Analytical Science at the

University of Cape Town The University of Cape Town (UCT) ( af, Universiteit van Kaapstad, xh, Yunibesithi ya yaseKapa) is a public research university in Cape Town, South Africa. Established in 1829 as the South African College, it was granted full university statu ...

between 1979 and 1985.

Private life

Irving was a

Freemason Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...

under the

United Grand Lodge of England The United Grand Lodge of England (UGLE) is the governing Masonic lodge for the majority of freemasons in England, Wales and the Commonwealth of Nations. Claiming descent from the Masonic grand lodge formed 24 June 1717 at the Goose & Gridiron T ...

. Initiated in the Churchill Lodge No 478 (Oxford), he later joined the

Apollo University Lodge Apollo University Lodge No 357 is a Masonic Lodge based at the University of Oxford aimed at past and present members of the university. It was consecrated in 1819, and its members have met continuously since then. University of Oxford Membershi ...

No 357 (Oxford), to which he was proposed by fellow Oxford scientist

Bertram Maurice Hobby Bertram Maurice Hobby (23 October 1905 – 19 July 1983) was an English entomologist who worked in University of Oxford, Oxford University and served as an editor of the ''Entomologist's Monthly Magazine''. He was a specialist on predatory insects ...

. Irving served at different times as

Worshipful Master In Craft Freemasonry, sometimes known as Blue Lodge Freemasonry, every Masonic lodge elects or appoints Masonic lodge officers to execute the necessary functions of the lodge's life and work. The precise list of such offices may vary between the j ...

of both lodges.

Books authored

*H. M. N. H. Irving, H. Freiser and T. S. West, ''Compendium of analytical nomenclature : definitive rules'', Pergamon Press 1977 *H. M. N. H. Irving, ''The Techniques of Analytical Chemistry: Short Historical Survey'', Science Museum 1974 *H. M. N. H. Irving, ''Dithizone'', Royal Society of Chemistry, 1977

External links

Irving-Williams Series - Transition Metal Chemistry

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Irving, Harry Munroe Napier Hetherington 1905 births 1993 deaths English chemists Fellows of the Royal Society of Chemistry Fellows of the Royal Society of South Africa Alumni of The Queen's College, Oxford Alumni of the Royal Academy of Music Fellows of St Edmund Hall, Oxford Academics of the University of Leeds Academic staff of the University of Cape Town British expatriates in South Africa Freemasons of the United Grand Lodge of England