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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Allahabad HC asks Moradabad DM to act against 'illegal' construction of temple in public park
Prayagraj (UP), May 20: The Allahabad High Court has directed the district magistrate and station house officer (SHO) concerned to take appropriate action in accordance with law regarding the alleged illegal construction of a temple in a public park of Awas Vikas Parishad at Buddh Vihar, Majhola in Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh.
Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) matter filed by Neeraj Kumar Tyagi, a division bench comprising Chief Justice Arun Bhansali and Justice Vikas Budhwar directed the Awas Evam Vikas Parishad, Moradabad to approach the DM and SHO concerned by way of an exhaustive application pertaining to the alleged illegal construction.
The petitioner has alleged that some people are illegally constructing a temple in a public park in the Awas Vikas Colony. When the matter was brought to the knowledge of the Awas Vikas executive engineer, he sent a junior engineer to the spot, who asked those involved in the construction to stop the work, but it was not stopped.
Thereafter, the executive engineer approached the Majhola SHO. However, when no action was taken, he wrote to the DM but despite this, no action has been taken so far.
Hence, the petitioner filed the petition in the court seeking the removal of the illegal construction from the park. During the course of the hearing, the counsel for the petitioner, Rajvendra Singh, contended that the Uttar Pradesh government issued an order dated October 29, 2009, prohibiting the construction of temples, churches, mosques, gurdwaras etc. on public roads, parks and public places. In this backdrop, he requested the court to intervene and direct the authorities concerned to take appropriate steps.
The petitioner also requested the court to grant him time to implead those involved in raising the construction as respondents in the PIL.
After hearing the petitioner's counsel, the court, in its order dated May 15, observed, "A perusal of the petition clearly indicates that construction is going on in the park and despite the Awas Evam Vikas Parishad requiring the police to intervene and stop the illegal construction, apparently, nothing has been done either by the district administration or the police station concerned."
The court has fixed July 8 for the next hearing in the matter.
