James Cloyd Downs

James Cloyd Downs ( November 6, 1885 - December 18, 1957)[1] [2][3] was an American Electrical Engineer who designed the Downs cell, the most common method of manufacture of sodium metal.[4][5]

Life

Downs was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1885, attended Trinity School (New York City), graduated in electrical engineering from Cooper Union in 1904. [1][6] He married Mabel Lehmann, and they had five children.[7] He died December 18, 1957 in Eugene, Oregon.[3][8]

Work

He worked for New York Edison Co., Acker Process Co., and Niagara Electrochemical Co,, which was absorbed by DuPont.[6] In 1924 he published his key patent 'Electrolytic process and cell'.[9]

Award

In 1834 he won the Schoellkopf Medal of the American Chemical Society for producing sodium directly from salt. The society announcement said "The use of sodium has been greatly extended by the introduction of the Downs Cell. It is employed in making sodium cyanide for heat treating steel, TEL for making ethyl gasoline, and sodium peroxide for bleaching silk, wool and cotton. Sodium also enters into numerous metallurgical processes and into the making of indigo, dyes, perfumes and pharmaceuticals.[6]

References

  1. ^ a b "J. Cloyd Downs". www.ancestry.com. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  2. ^ "Historic Saranac Lake - J. Cloyd Downs". Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Obituaries". Oil, Paint and Drug Reporter. 172: 51. December 21, 1957. Retrieved 3 November 2024.
  4. ^ Hardie, D W F (1959). Electrolytic manufacture of chemicals from salt. London: Oxford University Press. p. 2. Practically all sodium cells are now of the Downs type.
  5. ^ Gale Encyclopedia Of Science. Vol. 7 (5 ed.). 2014. p. 4014.
  6. ^ a b c "Wins Chemistry Prize James Cloyd Downs". New York Times. New York. May 27, 1934. Retrieved November 5, 2024.
  7. ^ "Ray Downs Obituary". www.legacy.com. Atlanta Journal-Constitution. December 15, 2006. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  8. ^ "Inventor Succumbs". Stroudsburg Daily Record. December 19, 1957. Retrieved November 4, 2024.
  9. ^ US Expired - Lifetime 1,501,756, James Cloyd Downs, "Electrolytic process and cell", published 1924