Contributions of chemistry in early day Los Alamos

In present day science, lines between formerly distinct disciplines are vague and indistinct. Chemistry, perhaps more than most fields, has benefited from the utilization of techniques which originated elsewhere. No first rate chemistry department can now do without X-ray structural determinations, infrared/Raman spectroscopy, NMR, high speed electronics, and similar such powerful modern tools. Yet, in the 30's and early 40's, such equipment and expertise, if they existed at all, were found in other departments. Furthermore, chemistry and metallurgy were not disciplines in close communication with each other. Thus, the combination at Los Alamos of chemistry and metallurgy under the leadership of chemist Joe Kennedy was extraordinary for the times. The impact of chemistry during that early Los Alamos period and to the successful merging of disciplines will be outlined