Richard Grenfell Thomas

Richard Grenfell Thomas (29 Maris 1901 - 16 Mayu 1974) masanin ilimin ma'adinai ne na Australiya kuma Masanin kimiyyar halittu. Ya kasance babban masanin kimiyya a cikin Kungiyar Binciken Kimiyya da Masana'antu ta Commonwealth (CSIRO), ya kawo karshen aikinsa a matsayin shugaban Sashen Ma'adanai. A shekara ta 1964 shi da Isabel Bear sun bayyana wariyar ruwan sama ta hanyar kimiyya, wanda ya kirkiro kalmar "petrichor". 

 Rayuwa ta farko 
An haifi Thomas a ranar 29 ga Maris 1901 a Kapunda, Kudancin Australia. Shi dan makiyaya ne. Yayinda yake yaro ya zama mai sha'awar ma'adanai bayan ya binciki ma'adinan jan ƙarfe da aka watsar kusa da gidansa. A rayuwarsa ta baya ya tuna daya daga cikin gwaje-gwajen da ya yi na farko kamar yadda ya sanya ɓangarorin atacamite a cikin wuta don samun harshen wuta mai launin shudi.

 Ayyukan farko da aikin abinci mai gina jiki na dabba 
Bayan barin jami'a, Thomas ya shafe shekaru uku a matsayin likitan magani tare da Kamfanin radium na Australia .  Ya kirkiro sabbin hanyoyin don dawo da uranium, radium, vanadium da scandium daga ma'adanai masu amfani da rediyo da aka samu a Radium Hill. A shekara ta 1928, ya koma Jami'ar Adelaide don yin aiki a karkashin Thorburn Brailsford Robertson a sashen ilmin sunadarai. Sashen Robertson daga baya ya zama Sashen Abinci na Dabbobi a cikin Majalisar Nazarin Kimiyya da Masana'antu (CSIR). 

 Sashin sunadarai na ma'adinai 
A cikin 1939, Thomas ya fahimci cewa CSIR tana shirin kafa Sashen Masana'antu. Daga baya ya rubuta wasika mai shafi 20 ga sabon shugaban sashen, Ian Wark, "yana lissafin wurare goma sha biyu ko fiye inda ake buƙatar bincike; wasu masu sha'awar nan da nan dangane da yaƙin, da wasu masu sha-awar dogon lokaci don ci gaban masana'antar Australiya".

Wark ya gayyace shi ya koma Melbourne kuma ya kafa Sashen Amfani da Ma'adanai a cikin sabon ɓangaren. An ba shi matsayin babban masanin sunadarai, tare da alhakin ma'adanai da yumbu wadanda ba na ƙarfe ba. A watan Yunin 1959, an ba da sashin matsayin yanki a matsayin Sashen Ma'adanai. Thomas ya yi aiki a matsayin sabon shugaban ƙungiyar har sai da ya yi ritaya a watan Maris na shekara ta 1961. Wark daga baya ya ce game da shi cewa "wannan shirin mutum daya ya haifar da aiki mai ban sha'awa da mahimmanci ga mutane ɗari biyu, dukansu, ba shakka, sun taimaka wajen gina kan harsashin Thomas".

 Manazarta 
Rukuni:Mutuwan 1974
Rukuni:Haifaffun 1901