Haber in Karlsruhe on the ammonia problem, and that he still had some of
the ammonia produced in 1909 from the prototype fixation plant. The next
day, Mr. Greenaway hand-wrote a ‘memo’ to Mr. Barclay, and it is clear from
this, and their subsequent correspondence, that despite a fine chemistry
pedigree, neither gentleman had any idea who Robert was, although the
Museum’s records today describe Robert as ‘Haber’s British-born assistant
[who] was present at the time and acquired a sample of the ammonia made on
that historic occasion’. One could be forgiven for thinking that, at the time,
the shadow of Haber was still cast long, but neither is there any real evidence
here to suggest that Robert had enlightened the young Mr. Greenaway
regarding the depth of his involvement with Haber. He seemed to have been
left with the impression that Robert was simply someone who worked
alongside Haber, and happened to be there when the first liquid ammonia
was produced, which in turn all serves to illustrate just how little of Robert’s
involvement with nitrogen fixation remained in mainstream chemistry at the
time, but equally, how reticent Robert seems to have been in promoting
himself. Mr. Greenaway wrote;
Mr. Barclay,
On Thursday 16.11.52 I saw your visitor, Mr. Rossignol, and showed him the
Ramsay Exhibition. He was very interested and appreciative. Two things arose.
1. Mr. Rossignol identified himself in the group photograph labeled ‘1909’ in the
desk case on the east side of the … case in Geology 1. He said the date must be
1905 or 1906, from his own period at U.C. and the presence of some others in
the group. He thought 1906 the more likely.
2. Mr. Rossignol worked with Haber at one time, and produced with him the first
synthetic ammonia in measurable quantity from a pilot prototype of the plant
subsequently used commercially. He still has some of this ammonia in sealed
tubes and would be prepared to present it to the Museum. Such an object would
have a considerable interest as a relic of a very important development in
chemical technology and I should recommend its acceptance.
The ‘sealed tubes’ that Robert had kindly offered to donate contained samples
of the synthetic liquid ammonia collected by him in the presence of Haber,
Mittasch and Kranz on the evening of 02 July 1909. (Chap. 8). Subsequent
to Greenaway’s memo, Barclay sent a typed letter
14 to Robert (26 November
1952) regarding this generous, and unexpected, offer;
462
D. Sheppard
the ammonia produced in 1909 from the prototype fixation plant. The next
day, Mr. Greenaway hand-wrote a ‘memo’ to Mr. Barclay, and it is clear from
this, and their subsequent correspondence, that despite a fine chemistry
pedigree, neither gentleman had any idea who Robert was, although the
Museum’s records today describe Robert as ‘Haber’s British-born assistant
[who] was present at the time and acquired a sample of the ammonia made on
that historic occasion’. One could be forgiven for thinking that, at the time,
the shadow of Haber was still cast long, but neither is there any real evidence
here to suggest that Robert had enlightened the young Mr. Greenaway
regarding the depth of his involvement with Haber. He seemed to have been
left with the impression that Robert was simply someone who worked
alongside Haber, and happened to be there when the first liquid ammonia
was produced, which in turn all serves to illustrate just how little of Robert’s
involvement with nitrogen fixation remained in mainstream chemistry at the
time, but equally, how reticent Robert seems to have been in promoting
himself. Mr. Greenaway wrote;
Mr. Barclay,
On Thursday 16.11.52 I saw your visitor, Mr. Rossignol, and showed him the
Ramsay Exhibition. He was very interested and appreciative. Two things arose.
1. Mr. Rossignol identified himself in the group photograph labeled ‘1909’ in the
desk case on the east side of the … case in Geology 1. He said the date must be
1905 or 1906, from his own period at U.C. and the presence of some others in
the group. He thought 1906 the more likely.
2. Mr. Rossignol worked with Haber at one time, and produced with him the first
synthetic ammonia in measurable quantity from a pilot prototype of the plant
subsequently used commercially. He still has some of this ammonia in sealed
tubes and would be prepared to present it to the Museum. Such an object would
have a considerable interest as a relic of a very important development in
chemical technology and I should recommend its acceptance.
The ‘sealed tubes’ that Robert had kindly offered to donate contained samples
of the synthetic liquid ammonia collected by him in the presence of Haber,
Mittasch and Kranz on the evening of 02 July 1909. (Chap. 8). Subsequent
to Greenaway’s memo, Barclay sent a typed letter
14 to Robert (26 November
1952) regarding this generous, and unexpected, offer;
462
D. Sheppard