Henry Eyring - Icon Profile | Alexandria
Henry Eyring (1901-1981) stands as one of the most influential physical chemists of the 20th century, whose absolute rate theory revolutionized our understanding of chemical reaction rates and earned him the informal title "father of chemical kinetics." Despite being nominated multiple times for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Eyring never received this honor—an oversight many scientists consider one of the most significant in Nobel history.
Born to cattle ranchers in Colonia Juárez, Mexico, Eyring's early life was marked by the family's flight from the Mexican Revolution in 1912, settling in Arizona where young Henry developed an insatiable curiosity for understanding the natural world. His academic journey led him from the University of Arizona to the University of California, Berkeley, and eventually to the University of Berlin, where he studied under some of the pioneers of quantum mechanics during the field's transformative years in the 1920s.
In 1935, while at Princeton University, Eyring published his seminal paper introducing the "activated complex theory" (also known as "transition state theory"), which provided the first comprehensive mathematical framework for understanding how chemical reactions occur at a molecular level. This groundbreaking work, which combined principles from thermodynamics, kinetics, and quantum mechanics, became the foundation for modern chemical kinetics and influenced fields ranging from materials science to drug development.
Eyring's legacy extends beyond his scientific achievements. As a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, he demonstrated that religious faith and scientific inquiry could coexist harmoniously, often stating that "truth is truth" regardless of its source. His work earned him numerous prestigious awards, including the National Medal of Science and the Priestley Medal, while his textbooks and nearly 600 scientific publications continue to influence new generations of scientists.
The "Eyring equation," which describes the temperature dependence of reaction rates, remains a cornerstone of physical chemistry, while his insights into reaction mechanisms continue to guide modern research in fields as diverse as protein folding and catalyst design. Perhaps most intriguingly, Eyring's approach to reconciling scientific discovery with personal faith offers a compelling model for addressing contemporary debates about science and religion.