chemistry

Geoffrey Eglinton

Geoffrey Eglinton is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Geoffrey Eglinton rather than just read about it. In short: Geoffrey Eglinton, FRS (1 November 1927 – 11 March 2016) was a British chemist and emeritus professor and senior research fellow in earth sciences at the University of Bristol. Education Eglinton was educated at Sale Grammar School and the University of Manchester where he was awarded Bachelor of Science, Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Science degrees.

Key takeaways

Geoffrey Eglinton belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Geoffrey Eglinton to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Geoffrey Eglinton from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Geoffrey Eglinton, FRS (1 November 1927 – 11 March 2016) was a British chemist and emeritus professor and senior research fellow in earth sciences at the University of Bristol.

Education Eglinton was educated at Sale Grammar School and the University of Manchester where he was awarded Bachelor of Science, Doctor of Philosophy and Doctor of Science degrees.

Research and career Eglinton's insights into the geological fate of organic compounds have made him an internationally respected biogeochemist. In addition to the significance of his research on molecular biomarkers (‘chemical fossils’), he was responsible for developing numerous experimental techniques that remain in widespread use. One of the first researchers to illustrate the potential of coupled gas chromatography–mass spectrometry in organic geochemistry, Eglinton also pioneered the use of infrared spectroscopy to characterise both inter- and intra-molecular hydrogen bonding. These innovative techniques improved understanding of diverse aspects of the distribution, stable isotopic content and provenance of organic compounds in the global environment.

Awards and honours Eglinton was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1976. He won the Royal Medal in 1997 "In recognition of his contribution to our understanding of the way in which chemicals move from the living biosphere to the fossil geosphere, in particular the origin, genesis, maturation and migration of oil which has had great repercussions on the petroleum industry.", With John M. Hayes he was awarded the Urey Medal of the European Association of Geochemistry in 1997. In 2000 he received the V. M. Goldschmidt Award of the Geochemical Society. He was awarded the Wollaston Medal in 2004. He was a co-winner of the Dan David Prize in 2008 for his studies of organic chemical fossils, which reveal the inhabitants and climates of ancient worlds. (He shared the prize with Ellen Moseley-Thompson and Lonnie G. Thompson). The Eglinton reaction is named after him. Professor Guy Orpen, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, said of his achievements: "He was one of the giants. His influence is still a key strand of our institutional future, and will be for a long time to come." Geoffrey’s team at the University of Bristol’s celebrated Organic Geochemistry Unit was chosen to conduct the first organic analyses of Moon rocks brought to Earth in 1969 by astronauts aboard Apollo 11. He has been awarded the NASA Gold Medal for Exceptional Scientific Achievement.

Personal life Eglinton married Pamela Joan Coupland, and had two sons, and one daughter. His son Timothy Eglinton is a Professor of Biogeoscience at the Geological Institute, ETH Zürich.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Geoffrey Eglinton

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Geoffrey Eglinton claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Geoffrey Eglinton before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Geoffrey Eglinton ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Geoffrey Eglinton

In research: Geoffrey Eglinton appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Geoffrey Eglinton in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Geoffrey Eglinton is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1927 births, 2016 deaths, Alumni of the University of Manchester, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Geoffrey Eglinton outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Geoffrey Eglinton in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Geoffrey Eglinton means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Geoffrey Eglinton out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Geoffrey Eglinton in simple terms?

Geoffrey Eglinton, FRS (1 November 1927 – 11 March 2016) was a British chemist and emeritus professor and senior research fellow in earth sciences at the University of Bristol. Education Eglinton was educated at Sale Grammar School and the University of Manchester where he was awarded Bachelor of S…

Why does Geoffrey Eglinton matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Geoffrey Eglinton?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Geoffrey Eglinton.