Robert Brattain
American physicist (1911-2002)
R. Robert Brattain (May 21, 1911 – November 17, 2002) was an American physicist at Shell Development Company. He was involved in a number of secret projects during World War II. He is recognized as one of America's leading infrared spectroscopists for his work in designing several models of spectrophotometer, and for using the infrared spectrophotometer to determine the β-lactam structure of penicillin. His instrumentation work was essential to the subsequent study and understanding of structures in organic chemistry.
Biography
R. Robert Brattain was born May 21, 1911, to Ross R. Brattain and Ottilie Houser Brattain. Both parents were graduates of Whitman College; Ottilie Houser Brattain was a gifted mathematician. During much of Robert Brattain's childhood, the family lived on a cattle ranch near Tonasket, Washington.
Brattain attended Whitman College in Walla Walla, Washington, following his older brother, Walter Houser Brattain. He then completed a master's degree in physics at the University of Washington in 1933. He went on to attend Princeton University, studying physics. There he met John Bardeen, a frequent bridge and bowling partner.
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