Mikkel Frandsen
| Mikkel Frandsen | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1892 Ringkøbing-Skjern municipality, Denmark |
| Died | 1981 |
| Alma mater | University of California |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | National Bureau of Standards, |
Mikkel Frandsen (1892–1981) was a Danish American physical chemist noted for experiments involving chemical thermodynamics, oil, and heavy water. Also known as deuterium oxide (D2O), heavy water is used to produce nuclear power and is used in other nuclear applications such as nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Frandsen was born in the parish of Sønder Lem in the town of Ringkøbing in Ringkøbing-Skjern, Midtjylland, Denmark. He emigrated from Denmark to the United States in 1921. Frandsen earned his Ph.D. in Physical Chemistry from the University of California in 1926.
In 1928, Frandsen invented the Liquid Phase Cracking Process, discovering that when oil is heated to a point at which cracking (chemistry) takes place, the heat consumed causes the oil temperature to decrease. This results in an increased yield of gasoline and a decreased knocking tendency of gasoline.
In 1931 while at the National Bureau of Standards (NBS), Frandsen began a study with Edward W. Washburn (1881-1934), chief of the NBS and his assistant Edgar R. Smith, the results of which were published in "The Isotopic Fractionation of Water" (1933). In Frandsen et al.’s experiment, the scientists subjected water to electrolysis, and an isotope fractionation took place. The heavy water produced displayed a higher density than regular water. Heavy water has a higher freezing point, higher boiling point, and lower refractive index than regular water.
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