[1] Smyth was appointed an instructor at Princeton in 1920;[1] he taught a freshman chemistry laboratory class there while finishing his Harvard dissertation.

[1] An early discovery on dipole moment proved correct August Kekulé's conjecture on the structure of benzene.

[10] The New York Section of the American Chemical Society awarded Smyth the William H. Nichols Medal in 1954.

[5] In 1945, close to the end of the war in Europe, Smyth joined the covert Operation Alsos.

The 50-year-old chemist flew to Europe to help determine the state of the German nuclear weapons program and capture equipment and personnel.

At an abandoned factory in Celle he discovered a centrifuge used for uranium enrichment, inspiring a frantic effort to find Paul Harteck.

Smyth also hunted Paul Herold, Eberhardt Elbel,[13] and a Professor Osenberg.

[10] Smyth remained active in chemistry later in life, publishing a review paper as late as 1982.

[15] The sitting and to date only Charles Phelps Smyth Professor of Chemistry is Herschel Rabitz.