What was Henry cecil ransom mcbay famous for?
Henry Ransom Cecil McBay was from Mexia, Texas. He received a
Bachelor of Science from Wiley College in 1934 and a Master of
Science from Atlanta University in 1936. McBay earned a Doctor of
Philosophy from the University of Chicago in 1945. He was an
Instructor of Chemistry at Wiley College from 1936 to 1938. After
that, he was as an Instructor at Western University, Kansas City.
In 1944 and 1945, he won the Elizabeth Norton prize at the
University of Chicago for outstanding research in chemistry.
Four years later he was awarded a $5,000 grant from the Research
Corp. of New York for research on chemical compounds. A chemical
compound is a chemical substance formed from two or more elements,
with a fixed ratio determining the composition. For example,
dihydrogen monoxide (water, H2O) is a compound composed of two
hydrogen atoms for every oxygen atom.
In general, this fixed ratio must be fixed due to some sort of
physical property, rather than an arbitrary man-made selection.
This is why materials such as brass, the superconductor YBCO, the
semiconductor aluminum gallium arsenide, or chocolate are
considered mixtures or alloys rather than compounds. A defining
characteristic of a compound is that it has a chemical formula.
Formulas describe the ratio of atoms in a substance, and the number
of atoms in a single molecule of the substance. The formula does
not indicate that a compound is composed of molecules; for example,
sodium chloride (table salt, NaCl) is an ionic compound. Compounds
may have a number of possible phases. Most compounds can exist as
solids. Molecular compounds may also exist as liquids or gases. All
compounds will decompose to smaller compounds or individual atoms
if heated to a certain temperature (called the decomposition
temperature).
McBay served as a technical expert on a United Nations
Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization mission to Liberia
in 1951. He was the first recipient of research funding from George
Washington Carver's donation to Tuskegee Institute, for research on
extraction of fibers from okra. He found the process impossible and
"researched myself out of a job," he said.
From 1945 to 1981, McBay was a member of the teaching faculty at
Morehouse College, beginning as an instructor and advancing to full
professor. Professor McBay served as Chairman of the Department of
Chemistry for eleven year during that time. He was appointed Fuller
E. Callaway Professor of Chemistry at Atlanta University in 1982
and became professor emeritus of chemistry at Clark Atlanta
University in 1986. More than 45 of his students went on to receive
doctorates in chemistry. He has published numerous articles in
scientific journals.
Dr. McBay was assistant director of the Program for Research
Integration and Support for Matriculation to the Doctorate at Clark
Atlanta University while continuing to teach chemistry at the time
of his death.
Born: 5/29/1914 Death: 6/23/1995 You're welcome
