Description
Papers of Harold Clayton Urey, Nobel Prize-winning chemist who contributed to significant advances in the fields of physical
chemistry, geochemistry, lunar science, and astrochemistry. He received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1934 for his discovery
of deuterium, and made key scientific contributions to the development of the atomic bomb during World War II. The papers
span the years 1929 to 1981 and contain significant correspondence with Urey's fellow scientists, including Albert Einstein,
Enrico Fermi, J. Robert Oppenheimer, Leo Szilard, and Edward Teller.
Background
Harold Clayton Urey was a scientist of considerable scope whose discovery of deuterium helped him win the Nobel Prize for
Chemistry in 1934. Urey also made fundamental contributions to the production of the atomic bomb through his development of
the isotope separation processes for the Manhattan Project. In the period following World War II, Urey played an active part
in advocating nuclear arms control, in promoting space exploration and in the development of the newly created campus of the
University of California, San Diego.
Extent
90.3 Linear feet
(157 archives boxes, 34 flat boxes, 5 card file boxes, 1 carton, and 9 art bin items)
Restrictions
Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.
Availability
Letters of recommendation and evaluations are restricted until 2031 in accordance with federal and state laws. Original audiovisual
materials are restricted, and user copies may be requested. A selection of artifacts, such as awards and medals, are restricted
and permission to consult these items is required from the director of Special Collections & Archives.