Lloyd Quarterman

Lloyd A. Quarterman

Born| (1918-05-31)May 31, 1918

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, US

Died| 1982

Chicago, Illinois

Alma mater| St. Augustine's College, Northwestern University
Scientific career
Fields| gaseous diffusion method of obtaining fissionable materials
Institutions| Manhattan Project, Argonne National Laboratory

Lloyd Albert Quarterman (May 31, 1918 – July 1982) was an American chemist working mainly with fluorine. During the Second World War, he was one of the first six African American scientists and technicians on the Manhattan Project.[1][2]

## Contents

* 1 Life
* 2 Career
* 3 References
* 3.1 Citations
* 3.2 Bibliography
* 4 External sources

## Life

Born on May 31, 1918, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, he displayed a love of the scientific method early in life, frequently experimenting with chemistry sets. As a young man, Quarterman attended St. Augustine's College in Raleigh, North Carolina, where he earned his bachelor's degree in 1943.[3]

## Career

After earning his degree, Quarterman was hired to work on the Manhattan Project. As one of the few African Americans to work on the project, Quarterman was chiefly responsible for the design and construction of a special distillation system for purifying large quantities of hydrogen fluoride. This hydrogen fluoride would be used to separate the Uranium isotope U-235 for the construction of the atomic bombs. The U-235 that Quarterman helped accumulate was used to make Little Boy, the uranium bomb that was exploded over Hiroshima, Japan, in 1945.[4] After the war, Quarterman was presented with a certificate of recognition for his development of the Atom Bomb and his contribution to the conclusion of World War II.[5]

There were two primary laboratories associated with the Manhattan Project; one at the University of Chicago and the other at Columbia University. At the University of Chicago, Quarterman worked under Dr. Enrico Fermi, a notable Italian physicist. While at Columbia University, Quarterman worked with Albert Einstein.[6] After the war, Quarterman worked at the then newly established Argonne National Laboratory in Chicago, Illinois, where he continued to work for over 30 years. At Argonne, Quarterman was an assistant to the associate research scientist and chemist from 1943 to 1949. He assisted with the first nuclear reactor for atomic-powered submarines.[7] Quarterman graduated from Northwestern University with a Master of Science in 1952.[8] After graduating, Quarterman continued his work with F, synthesizing new compounds by reacting F with noble gases, especially xenon.[6] These compounds were surprising because noble gases were considered unable to combine with other atoms at the time.[9] After several years of influential work, Lloyd Quarterman received an honorary Ph.D. in chemistry from St. Augustine's College in 1971.[5] Quarterman remained a member of the Chicago chapter of the NAACP and gave frequent lectures, inspiring African Americans to pursue education in the sciences.[6]

## References

### Citations

1. ↑ Carey 2006, pp. 294–295.
2. ↑ Ebony 1949, pp. 26–28.
3. ↑ Spangenburg 2003, pp. 198–199.
4. ↑ Carey 2008, pp. 173–174.
5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Williams 2008.
6. ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 African American Registry 2025.
7. ↑ Carter Sluby 2004, p. 113.
8. ↑ Encyclopedia.com 2019.
9. ↑ Absher 2011.

### Bibliography

* African American Registry (2025). "Lloyd Quarterman.". https://aaregistry.org/story/lloyd-quarterman-chemist-born/. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
* Absher, A. (2011). "Lloyd Albert Quarterman (1918-1982)". https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/quarterman-lloyd-albert-1918-1982/. Retrieved 12 February 2022.
* Carey, Charles W. (2006). American Scientists. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 978-1-4381-0807-0. https://books.google.com/books?id=00r9waSNv1cC&pg=PA294. Retrieved 13 June 2012.
* Carey, Charles W. (2008). African Americans in Science: An Encyclopedia of People and Progress. New York: ABC-CLIO, Inc. ISBN 978-1-85109-998-6. https://www.google.com/books/edition/African_Americans_in_Science/QuTNEAAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&dq=African Americans in Science: an encyclopedia of people and progress&pg=PP1&printsec=frontcover.
* Carter Sluby, Patricia (2004). The Inventive Spirit of African Americans: Patented Ingenuity. Connecticut: Praeger Publishers. ISBN 0-275-96674-7. https://books.google.com/books?id=Wz-DTSXeLRYC&pg=PA113. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
* Ebony (1949). "Atom Scientists: Ten Negro Scientists at Argonne Lab Help in Race to Harness Atomic Materials". Ebony magazine September.
* Encyclopedia.com (2019). "Quarterman, Lloyd Albert 1918–1982 | Encyclopedia.com" (in en). https://www.encyclopedia.com/education/news-wires-white-papers-and-books/quarterman-lloyd-albert-1918-1982.
* Spangenburg, Ray (2003). African Americans in Science, Math, and Invention.. New York: Facts on File. ISBN 978-1-43810-774-5. https://books.google.com/books?id=XSOZ8kF5ynEC&pg=PA198. Retrieved 2 August 2014.
* Williams, Scott (2008). "Lloyd Quarterman. Physicist of the African Diaspora.". http://www.math.buffalo.edu/mad/physics/quaterman_lloyda.html. Retrieved 12 February 2022.

## External sources

* Black History Pages: Dr. Lloyd Quarterman

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