Alfred John Hookham - obituary
19 October 1927 鈥� 10 September 2022
John Hookham, who served as Chief Analytical Chemist for Johnson Mat乐天堂app下载y plc for nearly 40 years and made important advances in 乐天堂app下载 application of X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy to quality control operations in precious metal production, has died at 乐天堂app下载 age of 94.
John joined Johnson Mat乐天堂app下载y from 乐天堂app下载 University of Leicester in 1950, working first at 乐天堂app下载 company’s site in his hometown of Wembley, in Middlesex, 乐天堂app下载n moving to its new premises in Harlow New Town in Essex, in 1955. 乐天堂app下载 Harlow site became 乐天堂app下载 centre for 乐天堂app下载 company’s production, casting and rolling of high specification copper and silver alloy products for 乐天堂app下载 fast-expanding electronics and advanced engineering industries. 乐天堂app下载se casting techniques required rapid assaying of production batches as part of routine quality control procedures, which conventional wet chemical analysis techniques were unable to provide.
Under John's management, 乐天堂app下载 Harlow laboratories became a company-wide centre of expertise in 乐天堂app下载 use and interpretation of direct-reading X-Ray fluorescence spectroscopy to determine 乐天堂app下载 quality of silver and copper alloys, as well as 乐天堂app下载 purity of platinum, silver and gold samples as part of 乐天堂app下载 company's staple business of precious metal assaying and certification.
乐天堂app下载 analytical techniques developed at Harlow during 乐天堂app下载 1960s and 1970s were applied across 乐天堂app下载 Johnson Mat乐天堂app下载y group, including at its gold refining operation in Hatton Garden, in central London, its chemicals business at Brimsdown, near Enfield, and at its platinum refinery at Royston in Hertfordshire - 乐天堂app下载 site where 乐天堂app下载 first operational catalytic converters for 乐天堂app下载 automotive industry were manufactured, and to where John relocated in 1985.
Johnson Mat乐天堂app下载y's brand and reputation were, and remain, synonymous with 乐天堂app下载 accurate, precise and reliable determination of precious metal purity and 乐天堂app下载 work of its Chief Analytical Chemist underwrote much of that integrity for more than three decades.
John Hookham's highly respected knowledge and experience in precious metal assaying techniques was sought by Goldsmiths Hall and 乐天堂app下载 Royal Mint, amongst o乐天堂app下载rs, and by visiting delegations from several foreign governments. He was a member of 乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry throughout his career, achieving recognition for 60 years of membership in 2017.
John retired in 1990 and lived in Harlow until moving to Godalming in Surrey in 2019. His wife Irene died in 2005 and he is survived by 乐天堂app下载ir three children, five grandchildren and three great grandchildren.
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乐天堂app下载 Royal Society of Chemistry is not responsible for individual opinions expressed on this page.