Google Doodle honours SPL Sorensen who introduced pH scale
New Delhi, May 29 : Google on Tuesday celebrated Danish chemist Soren Peder Lauritz Sorensen who introduced the pH scale to the world with an interactive Doodle.
Sorensen's method of expressing acidity -- the negative logarithm of hydrogen ion concentration (pH) -- still has a wide range of real-world uses.
For example, in agriculture, the pH value can indicate the moisture associated with a soil, which can reveal what crops are suitable for the soil and what adjustments farmers must make to adapt it for growing any other crops.
Born in Havrebjerg in 1868, Sorensen was initially interested in studying medicine at University of Copenhagen. But he eventually spent more time studying chemistry and obtained his PhD in 1899.
Sorensen did most of his research in Carlsberg Laboratories. He became the director of its chemical section in 1901. While at Carlsberg, Sorensen started to study amino acids, proteins and enzymes.
As hydrogen ion concentration played a key role in enzymatic reactions he devised a simple way of expressing it, according to EuCheMS, the European Association for Chemical and Molecular Sciences.
He found that by taking a negative logarithm of hydrogen ion concentration a convenient scale can be established. This is the well-known pH value.
He also developed buffer solutions to maintain constant pH of solutions (Sorensen buffers), EuCheMS noted in a short biography of the scientist in its website.
The Google Doodle on Tuesday allows users to see for themselves the pH value of different food items, including tomatoes and eggs in a scale of 1 to 14.
Sorensen retired from his post at Carlsberg in 1938. He died in Copenhagen in 1939.
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Meerut youth allegedly assaulted, family claims forced chanting of Jai Shri Ram slogans
Meerut :A young man from Sofipur village, Meerut, was reportedly assaulted, stripped, and coerced to chant religious slogans, according to allegations made by his family on Monday. The incident occurred on Saturday evening as the victim, Gulfam, was returning home from practice at a private shooting range in Mangal Pandey Nagar, said his father, Aftab.
Aftab claimed that Gulfam was intercepted by three individuals who took him to Victoria Park. There, the assailants allegedly beat him, stripped him, and demanded that he chant "Jai Shri Ram." Gulfam’s family also alleged that the attackers stole his mobile phone and left him unconscious at the scene.
However, local police have rejected the claims of stripping and forced chanting, suggesting that the incident appears to be linked to personal enmity. "There is no mention of any forced chanting in the FIR. It seems to be a case of enmity between local youths," stated Mahavir Singh, Station House Officer (SHO) of Civil Lines Police Station.
Based on Aftab’s complaint, an FIR was filed under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including 351(2) for criminal intimidation, 352 for intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace, and 324 for mischief. Civil Lines Circle Officer, Abhishek Tiwari, confirmed that efforts are ongoing to apprehend the suspects involved.
Gulfam, who is preparing for a national shooting competition, is currently undergoing medical treatment at a private hospital. His family continues to maintain that the attack was religiously motivated, though the authorities have yet to substantiate these specific claims.
