Frederick Dominic Rossini (July 18, 1899 – October 12, 1990) was an American

thermodynamicist In thermodynamics, a thermodynamicist is someone who studies thermodynamic processes and phenomena, i.e. the physics that deal with mechanical action and relations of heat. Among the well-known number of famous thermodynamicists, include Sadi Ca ...

noted for his work in

chemical thermodynamics Chemical thermodynamics is the study of the interrelation of heat and work with chemical reactions or with physical changes of state within the confines of the laws of thermodynamics. Chemical thermodynamics involves not only laboratory measurement ...

. In 1920, at the age of twenty-one, Rossini entered

Carnegie-Mellon University Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

in Pittsburgh, and soon was awarded a full-time teaching scholarship. He graduated with a B.S. in

chemical engineering Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production. Chemical engineers develop economical commercial processes to convert raw materials int ...

in 1925, followed by an M.S. degree in science in

physical chemistry Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mecha ...

in 1926. As a result of reading Lewis and Randall's classical 1923 textbook ''Thermodynamics and the Free Energy of Chemical Substances'' he wrote to

Gilbert N. Lewis Gilbert Newton Lewis (October 23 or October 25, 1875 – March 23, 1946) was an American physical chemist and a Dean of the College of Chemistry at University of California, Berkeley. Lewis was best known for his discovery of the covalent bond a ...

and as a result he was offered a teaching fellowship at the

University of California at Berkeley The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...

. Among his teachers were Gilbert Lewis and

William Giauque William Francis Giauque (;''The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia'', 2004. May 12, 1895 – March 28, 1982) was a Canadian-born American chemist and Nobel laureate recognized in 1949 for his studies in the properties of matter at temperatures clo ...

. Rossini's doctoral dissertation on the heat capacities of strong

electrolyte An electrolyte is a medium containing ions that is electrically conducting through the movement of those ions, but not conducting electrons. This includes most soluble salts, acids, and bases dissolved in a polar solvent, such as water. Upon dis ...

s in aqueous solution was supervised by

Merle Randall Merle Randall (January 29, 1888 – March 17, 1950) was an American physical chemist famous for his work with Gilbert N. Lewis, over a period of 25 years, in measuring reaction heat of chemical compounds and determining their corresponding free ...

. His Ph.D. degree was awarded in 1928, after only 21 months of graduate work, even though he continued to serve as a teaching fellow throughout this entire period. He worked at the

National Bureau of Standards The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is an agency of the United States Department of Commerce whose mission is to promote American innovation and industrial competitiveness. NIST's activities are organized into physical sci ...

(Washington, DC) from 1928 to 1950. In 1932, Frederick Rossini, Edward W. Washburn, and

Mikkel Frandsen Mikkel Frandsen (1892–1981) was a Danish American physical chemist noted for experiments involving chemical thermodynamics, oil, and heavy water. Also known as deuterium oxide (D2O), heavy water is used to produce nuclear power and is used in ...

authored "The Calorimetric Determination of the Intrinsic Energy of Gases as a Function of the Pressure." This experiment resulted in the development of the Washburn Correction for bomb calorimetry, a decrease or correction of the results of a calorimetric procedure to normal states. In 1950, he published his popular textbook ''Chemical Thermodynamics''. In that year he also moved to the

Carnegie Institute of Technology Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) is a private research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. One of its predecessors was established in 1900 by Andrew Carnegie as the Carnegie Technical Schools; it became the Carnegie Institute of Technology ...

(Pittsburgh), where he remained until 1960. He served as dean of the

Notre Dame College of Science The College of Science is a college within the University of Notre Dame. The Dean of the College of Science is Santiago Schnell, appointed Sept 1st, 2021. History The College of Science is established in 1865 by Rev. John Zahm, C.S.C., and in 1 ...

from 1960 to 1967. In 1973, Dr. Rossini spent the spring academic quarter at Baldwin-Wallace College, in Berea Ohio, as the first distinguished professor to occupy the Charles J. Strosacker Chair of Science. The Baldwin-Wallace College student union was named after "the late Dr. strosacker, who was vice president of The Dow Chemical Company, ndwas a B-W trustee for 17 years. The college union was named in his honor in 1963." Awards *In 1965 he became the recipient of the

Laetare Medal The Laetare Medal is an annual award given by the University of Notre Dame in recognition of outstanding service to the Catholic Church and society. The award is given to an American Catholic or group of Catholics "whose genius has ennobled the a ...

. *In 1965 he received the

John Price Wetherill Medal The John Price Wetherill Medal was an award of the Franklin Institute. It was established with a bequest given by the family of John Price Wetherill (1844–1906) on April 3, 1917. On June 10, 1925, the Board of Managers voted to create a silver ...

. *In 1966 he received the

William H. Nichols Medal The William H. Nichols Medal is awarded annually for original research in chemistry. Nominees must have made a "significant and original contribution in any field of chemistry" during the five years preceding the presentation date. The medallist ...

. *In 1971 he received the

Priestley Medal The Priestley Medal is the highest honor conferred by the American Chemical Society (ACS) and is awarded for distinguished service in the field of chemistry. Established in 1922, the award is named after Joseph Priestley, the discoverer of oxygen ...

. *In 1977 he received the

National Medal of Science The National Medal of Science is an honor bestowed by the President of the United States to individuals in science and engineering who have made important contributions to the advancement of knowledge in the fields of behavioral and social scienc ...

for his "contributions to basic reference knowledge in

."Frederick Rossini
– Biography, US National Academy of Sciences.

References

External links

Encyclopedia of Baldwin Wallace University History: Dr. Frederick Rossini
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rossini, Frederick 1899 births 1990 deaths Thermodynamicists American physical chemists Carnegie Mellon University College of Engineering alumni National Medal of Science laureates Laetare Medal recipients University of Notre Dame faculty 20th-century American chemists