Langmuir, << LANG myoor, >> Irving (1881-1957), won the 1932 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work in surface chemistry and in the electron theory of matter. His investigations of surface films led to important advances in the study of microorganisms. Langmuir also did research in physics and engineering. He helped develop the gas-filled incandescent bulb, the vacuum tube, and an atomic hydrogen welding process. He also developed a way to produce rain and snow by seeding clouds with dry ice. Langmuir was born in Brooklyn, and studied at Columbia University and in Gottingen, Germany. He conducted research at the General Electric laboratory from 1909 to 1950.
