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Papers of RP Bell FRS, Fellow of Balliol

Material concerning RP Bell FRS (Balliol 1924, Fellow of Balliol 1933-1967) sent to Balliol by his son MJ Bell (Balliol 1957) in January 1996. It was perused in a preliminary fashion on 4 and 8 January 1996.

1. JN Brǿnsted, collected published papers, variously in English, German and Danish, bound in 6 vols:

• 1904-1914 ownership signature of Agnes Petersen
• 1908-1914 ownership signature of Agnes Petersen
• 1917-1923 ownership signature of Agnes Delbaneo, deleted; ownership signature of RPB
• 1923-1928 annotations by ?Agnes Delbaneo; also by RPB
• 1928-1934 ownership signature of RPB
• 1935-1947 ownership signature of RPB

2. Acta Chemica Scand., vol.3, 1949, no.10A (1183-1278); bound with the legend ‘KN Brǿnsted (1879-1947) Memorial issue’ on the spine; includes three obituaries – one by RPB which contains personal reminiscences – and a bibliography. Loosely inserted are ten ts pages on JNB’s headed notepaper, by his widow, nd but shortly after his death, giving much family and personal biographical detail; it is a top copy and reads as if written for RPB.

3.Notebooks, 7 vols, nd, all written in RPB’s hand; contents include much quantum chemistry; 3 vols appear to be largely taken up with very detailed notes, possibly a verbatim translation, from AI Shatenshtein The Theory of Acids and Bases.

4. Offprint, B Bleaney Notes Rec. R Soc Lond 48 (2) 247-261 (1994): ‘The Physical Sciences in Oxford 1918-1939 and Ealier.’

5. Notes Rec R Soc Lond, 25 (2) (1970): issue containing EJ Bowen ‘The Balliol Trinity Laboratories, Oxford.’

6. JR Soc Arts 95 (4744) 1947: issue containing HB Hartley ‘A Century of Chemistry.’

7. Offprint, Ag Ogston Biog Mem Fellows R Soc, 19, 349-373 (1973): Harold Brewer Hartley 1878-1972

8. KJ Pedersen ‘Den Almindelige Syre- og Basekatalyse’, Copenhagen 1932

9. JA Christiansen ‘Fysik Kemi’ (Part 1), Copenhagen, 1950

10. JA Christiansen ‘Om Kemiske Reaktioner og deres Hastigheder,’ Copenhagen, 1958

11. S Veibel et al ‘Kemien: Danmark’ (Part III ‘ Danske Kemikere), Copenhagen, 1968

12. TA Bak ‘KN Brǿnsted and Niels Bjerrum: a centenary report,’ proceedings of a symposium held in 1979, pub. Copenhagen 1984: RPB contributed a paper ‘The development of ideas about proton transfer.

- John Jones, 8 January 1996