Elmer Samuel Imes (October 12, 1883 – September 11, 1941) was an American physicist who demonstrated for the first time that Quantum Theory could be applied to the rotational energy states of molecules, as well as the vibration and electronic levels.
He was among the first known African-American scientists to make important contributions to modern physics; others' prior work was unrecorded or uncredited.
Benjamin was descended from free people of color, who had been established in south-central Pennsylvania by the time of the Revolution.
Elmer's mother Elizabeth was born into slavery; her family had moved to Oberlin when she was a child, after the American Civil War and emancipation.
His work as a graduate student to measure the rotational-vibrational spectra of diatomic molecules gained recognition from the scientific community.
[1] On May 3, 1919, after moving to New York City to work in industry, Imes married Nella Larsen, a nurse who became a writer.
An American of Danish and Afro-Caribbean descent, she is considered part of the Harlem Renaissance, having published short stories and two novels in the late 1920s.
Imes's research and doctoral thesis led to his publication of Measurements on the Near-Infrared Absorption of Some Diatomic Gases in November 1919 in the Astrophysical Journal.
[4][7] This work demonstrated for the first time that Quantum Theory could be applied to the rotational energy states of molecules, as well as to the vibration and electronic levels.
[2] Imes's work was one of the earliest applications of high resolution infrared spectroscopy and provided the first detailed spectra of molecules.
[1][3] During the decade that Imes worked in the scientific and materials industry, his research resulted in four patents for instruments that were used for measuring magnetic and electric properties.
His colleague Swann wrote in an obituary for the journal Science that, "his research laboratory was a mecca for those who sought an atmosphere of calm and contentment.
Peacefully smoking a pipe, Imes could always be relied upon to bring to any discussion an atmosphere of philosophic soundness and levelheaded practicalness.