Charles Martin Hall
See also: Hall
Charles Martin Hall (1863 - 1914) is an American engineer. He invented the electrolytic proceeded of extraction of aluminum starting from the Alumine. This invention was carried out simultaneously and independently by French Paul Héroult. It had a great direction of the businesses and management what enabled him to develop its invention.
Childhood and studies
Charles Hall was born in the town of Thompson in the American state from the Ohio. His/her father was Pasteur. He moved child in the town of Oberlin (Ohio). The Hall family was very nun. His/her brother will become also Pasteur.
He will carry out his studies in the Collège of Oberlin, first American university to accept women then the blacks in 1835. He will follow the courses of chemistry of the professor Frank Jewett . This last had taught with the imperial college of Tokyo and had met the discoverer of the Aluminum Friedrich Wöhler. It will have a great influence on Charles Hall.
After its departure of Oberlin in 1888, he will be later a large giver of the college of Oberlin.
The discovery of the electrolysis of aluminum
It profited from less means than its alter-ego Paul Héroult. Whereas this last had an electric generator, Hall worked with batteries. His/her Julia older sister assisted it during all lasted it of her work.
It carried out its first production on February 23rd 1886. Taking into account the weak electric source, it produced only one small quantity of Aluminum. He wrote the evening even with his Pasteur brother in the New Hampshire to announce his discovery. He deposited his patent in the United States on July 9th, 1886. Paul Héroult had deposited to it his on April 23rd of the same year in France. To prove the anteriority of its invention, it used a characteristic of the American law which made it possible to the American citizens to antedate a patent by producing parts proving the effective date of the invention. It is the letter with his/her brother who allowed Martin Hall to show anteriority. Paul Héroult not being American citizen could not carry out the same operation and lost the lawsuit which opposed it to Hall. The patent of Hall having validity only in the United States. Thereafter, the two men were bound by a great friendship.
A great community of destiny linked the two men (it were born and died the same year). Hall just like Héroult had much evil at the beginning to use its invention. He moved in Pittsburg and created with the captain Alfred Hunt the Pittsburg Reduction Company in 1888. It essaima then with New Kensington close to the falls of the Niagara and Shawinigan (where there exists always a factory of production of aluminum of the Canadian group Alcan) in Canada. These factories will be at the origin of the industry of aluminum in North America.
Because of a bad health, it carried out an ascetic life. He died on December 27th, 1914.