American chemist · 1912–1971
Charles D. Coryell
Charles Coryell led the fission-products group at Oak Ridge that discovered promethium in 1945. The name came from his wife.
How Promethium was found
Coryell supervised the work of Marinsky and Glendenin, analysing the radioactive debris of uranium fission. When their ion-exchange columns revealed element 61, the team needed a name.
Grace Mary Coryell suggested promethium, after Prometheus, who stole fire from the gods. It was a fitting image for an element extracted from the fire of a nuclear reactor, and a warning about the dangers of nuclear power.
Shared the credit
The discovery is credited jointly to these scientists.
Life and career
Born 1912 · Died 1971
Coryell studied at Caltech under Linus Pauling, with whom he worked on the magnetic properties of haemoglobin. After the war he became professor of chemistry at MIT, where he trained many nuclear chemists.
Discovered in the same era
Other elements identified within ten years of 1945.