The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1921

Frederick Soddy

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1921 was awarded to Frederick Soddy "for his contributions to our knowledge of the chemistry of radioactive substances, and his investigations into the origin and nature of isotopes".

Frederick Soddy received his Nobel Prize one year later, in 1922. During the selection process in 1921, the Nobel Committee for Chemistry decided that none of the year's nominations met the criteria as outlined in the will of Alfred Nobel. According to the Nobel Foundation's statutes, the Nobel Prize can in such a case be reserved until the following year, and this statute was then applied. Frederick Soddy therefore received his Nobel Prize for 1921 one year later, in 1922.

Frederick Soddy was “the father of nuclear fission,” winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1921, discoverer of the existence of isotopes (in general, not of a specific isotope), discoverer of the cause of radioactivity, a professor of chemistry at Oxford University, and a Fellow of England’s most prestigious scientific organization, the Royal Society. Without Soddy’s discoveries we would never have developed nuclear power. All of these accomplishments pale in comparison to Soddy’s economic and monetary discoveries. After winning the Nobel Prize Soddy went on to invent a scientific monetary system and the new science of National Economy—the science of wealth. With these inventions Soddy forever solved the problem of poverty and paved the way to national prosperity. Soddy’s inventions and discoveries make it possible for everyone to work less and have more, to forever get out and stay out of debt, and to live better and longer lives. Today, Frederick Soddy is little remembered. When he is remembered, it is for his contributions to chemistry. His greatest achievements are almost completely unknown.

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