John Bockris

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John O'Mara Bockris (born January 5, 1923, in South Africa[1]) is a former professor of Chemistry at Texas A&M University whose unorthodox views have provoked controversy. He has authored or edited 15 books and more than 600 papers in the field. In the 1980s, he experimented with cold fusion and in separate research, he claimed to have burned a mixture of potassium nitrate and carbon and salts and come up with gold.

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[edit] Early breakthroughs

In 1970, Borkris, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania, said he had found the a "hydrogen economy" with a method for using sunlight to free hydrogen from water. In 1982, at Texas A&M, he announced a "quantum leap" in his hydrogen-fuel technology through a "secret catalyst" that split water into hydrogen and oxygen even without the energy of sunlight. In 1984, he said he had found a material that facilitated complete conversion of sunlight to electricity.[1]

[edit] Cold fusion

Bockris experimented in cold fusion at the time of the 1988 Pons and Fleischmann affair. Bockris' research group was one of the few to claim results that matched those of Pons and Fleischmann.

[edit] Transmutation

In 1993, Bockris began experiments in the transmutation of elements, also called alchemy. Bockris got a lot of press for these efforts, and other chemists at Texas A&M felt that their reputations were being sullied by the connection. When the alchemy started, their patience ran out. An editorial by Mike Epstein in the Journal of Scientific Exploration describes what happened next:

A petition signed by 23 of the 28 distinguished professors at Texas A&M called on the university provost to strip Bockris of his title as distinguished professor. The petition follows a letter written by 11 full professors in the chemistry department (out of the department's 38 full professors) calling on Bockris to resign and remove the "shadow" he has cast over the department. The petition from the distinguished professors said "For a trained scientist to claim, or support anyone else's claim to have transmuted elements is difficult for us to believe and is no more acceptable than to claim to have invented a gravity shield, revived the dead or to be mining green cheese on the moon. We believe that Bockris' recent activities have made the terms 'Texas A&M' and 'Aggie' objects of derisive laughter throughout the world..."[2]

The effort failed and Bockris kept his job. He also won the 1997 Ig Nobel Prize in Physics.[3]

Bockris also tried to organize a conference on Cold Fusion at Texas A&M in that year but the university refused to allow the use of its conference halls.

Bockris subsequently retired.

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b Brian Wallstin, "Aggie Alchemy: John Bockris was known around Texas A&M as a chemist interested in "weird science." Joe Champion gave him all he could handle.", Houston Press, April 7, 1994
  2. ^ "Academic Freedom or Scientific Misconduct?", editorial by Mike Epstein, Journal of Scientific Exploration
  3. ^ William J. Cromie, "Ignominious Ig Nobels Ignite Hilarity at Harvard", Harvard University Gazette, October 16, 1997

[edit] Sources

  • LingaFranca.com, November 9, 2000
  • Bryan-College Station Eagle, 15 April 1997
  • Bad Science: The Short Life and Weird Times of Cold Fusion, 1993
  • Journal of Scientific Exploration, Vol 8/1, 1994
  • Robert Pool. 1993. Alchemy altercation at Texas A&M. Science 262:1367.