Therald Moeller

Therald Moeller
Born	George Therald Moeller (1913-04-03)April 3, 1913 North Bend, Oregon, United States
Died	November 24, 1997(1997-11-24) (aged 84) Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, United States
Alma mater	Oregon State College University of Wisconsin-Madison (PhD)
Known for	Inorganic Chemistry, an Advanced Text (1952)
Scientific career
Fields	Inorganic chemistry
Institutions	Michigan State College University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Arizona State University
Thesis	A Study of the Preparation and Certain Properties of Hydrous Lanthanum Oxide Sols  (1938)
Doctoral advisor	Francis Craig Krauskopf

George Therald Moeller (April 3, 1913- November 24, 1997) was an American chemist and emeritus professor of Arizona State University. He is known for his various books, including the textbook Inorganic Chemistry, an Advanced Text of 1952 which has been dubbed the "Bible of inorganic chemistry."[1][2]

Biography

Early life and studies

George Therald Moeller was born in North Bend, Oregon in 1913.[1][2]

He graduated from Oregon State College, earning a degree in chemical engineering in 1934.[1] Afterwards he went to the University of Wisconsin–Madison, where he obtained a Sigma Tau National Fellowship and a Du Pont Fellowship.[1][2] He received obtained his PhD in inorganic and physical chemistry in 1938.[1] His thesis was titled "A Study of the Preparation and Certain Properties of Hydrous Lanthanum Oxide Sols", his supervisor was Francis C. Krauskopf.[2]

Career

From 1938 to 1940, Moeller served as instructor at Michigan State College before joining the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in 1940, where he became an expert in the chemistry of rare-earth elements.[1] In 1969, he became chairman of the department of chemistry at Arizona State University (ASU), a role he held until 1975. Moeller retired in 1983 as emeritus professor at ASU.[1]

In 1953, he published his book Inorganic Chemistry, an Advanced Text which was well received internationally and allowed US universities to teach advanced chemistry.[1]

Moeller and John C. Bailar Jr. founded the Inorganic Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society in 1959. Moeller served also as president of the board of directors of Inorganic Syntheses.[1][2]

Personal life

Moeller married his wife Ellyn Stephenson in 1935, they had three children.[3]

He died in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma in 1997.[1][2]

Honors and awards

In 1980, Arizona State University (ASU) stablished the Therald Moeller scolarship, to support students with a career in chemistry in the School of Molecular Sciences.[4]

In 1981, he received the Award for Distinction in Undergraduate Teaching by the department of chemistry and in 1983 he received the Alumni Association's Distinguished Teacher Award as best instructor at ASU.[1]

Textbooks

• Moeller, Therald (1952). Inorganic Chemistry: An Advanced Textbook. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-61215-5.
• Moeller, Therald (1963). The Chemistry of the Lanthanides. Reinhold Publishing Corporation.
• Moeller, Therald; O'Connor, Rod (1972). Ions in aqueous systems: an introduction to chemical equilibrium and solution chemistry. New York: McGraw-Hill. ISBN 978-0-07-042647-4.
• Moeller, Therald (1980). Chemistry with Inorganic Qualitative Analysis. Academic Press. ISBN 978-0-12-503350-3.
• Moeller, Therald (1982). Inorganic Chemistry: A Modern Introduction. Wiley. ISBN 978-0-471-61230-8.

References

1. "Moeller, Therald (1913-1997) Department of Chemistry Illinois". chemistry.illinois.edu. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
2. Girolami, Gregory S.; Satterberger, Alfred P., eds. (2014). "Dedication: George Therald Moeller". Inorganic syntheses. Volume 36. Hoboken, N.J: Wiley. p. vii. ISBN 978-1-118-74487-1.
3. "Moeller, Therald | University of Illinois Archives". University of Illinois Archives Holdings Database. Retrieved 2024-12-10.
4. "Therald Moeller Scholarship recipient pursues career as science educator | ASU News". news.asu.edu. Retrieved 2024-12-10.