Howard Tracy Hall (1919–2008): The Alchemist of the Industrial Age
While the quest of the medieval alchemists was to turn lead into gold, Howard Tracy Hall achieved a feat arguably more valuable to modern industry: he turned common graphite into diamond. A physical chemist whose work bridged the gap between theoretical thermodynamics and heavy engineering, Hall’s invention of the first reproducible process for synthesizing diamonds transformed global manufacturing, electronics, and high-pressure physics.
1. Biography: From the Great Depression to the Laboratory
Howard Tracy Hall was born on October 20, 1919, in Ogden, Utah. Growing up during the Great Depression, Hall’s early life was defined by frugality and a precocious mechanical aptitude. He famously spent his childhood hours in the Ogden public library, reading through the Encyclopædia Britannica and building his own laboratory equipment from scrap metal and discarded bottles.
Education and Military Service
Hall attended the University of Utah, where he earned his B.S. in 1942 and his M.S. in 1943. His academic path was briefly interrupted by World War II, during which he served as an ensign in the U.S. Navy. Upon his return, he resumed his studies at the University of Utah under the mentorship of the legendary theoretical chemist Henry Eyring. He completed his Ph.D. in 1948, focusing on the physical chemistry of reaction rates.
The GE Years and BYU
In 1948, Hall joined the General Electric (GE) Research Laboratory in Schenectady, New York. He was assigned to "Project Superpressure," a team tasked with the "Holy Grail" of materials science: creating synthetic diamonds. After his historic breakthrough in 1954, Hall left GE in 1955, feeling his contributions were undervalued. He returned to Utah to become a professor of chemistry and the Director of Research at Brigham Young University (BYU), where he remained for the rest of his academic career.
2. Major Contributions: The "Belt" and the Tetrahedral Press
Hall’s primary contribution was the invention of apparatuses capable of maintaining the simultaneous extreme temperatures and pressures required to rearrange carbon atoms from a graphite lattice into a diamond lattice.
- The "Belt" Apparatus (1954): Before Hall, researchers struggled to contain the immense pressure needed for diamond synthesis (roughly 1.5 million pounds per square inch). Hall’s "Belt" design used a tapered piston-and-cylinder arrangement made of tungsten carbide, reinforced by a series of high-strength steel bands (the "belts"). On December 16, 1954, using this device and a molten metal catalyst, Hall produced the first verifiable man-made diamonds.
- The Tetrahedral Press (1957): Because GE held the patents for the Belt apparatus, Hall had to innovate further at BYU. He developed the Tetrahedral Press, which used four hydraulic rams to apply pressure equally onto a tetrahedral-shaped volume. This allowed for even higher pressures and more stable experimental conditions, opening new doors for high-pressure mineralogy.
- Polycrystalline Diamond (PCD): Hall was instrumental in developing the technology to sinter diamond dust into solid, usable shapes, which revolutionized the cutting-tool industry.
3. Notable Publications
Hall was a prolific researcher who balanced industrial application with academic rigor. His most influential works include:
- "The Synthesis of Diamond" (1955, Nature): Co-authored with the GE team (Bundy, Hall, Strong, and Wentorf), this paper announced to the world that the centuries-old dream of making diamonds had been realized.
- "Ultra-high Pressure Research" (1958, Science): This paper detailed his work at BYU and the development of the tetrahedral press, establishing the field of high-pressure chemistry as a distinct discipline.
- "High Pressure Apparatus" (1960, Progress in Very High Pressure Research): A foundational text for engineers and physicists designing experimental pressure vessels.
- US Patent 2,941,248 (1960): The patent for the "Reaction Vessel" (The Belt), which became the most profitable patent in General Electric's history at that time.
4. Awards & Recognition
Despite the commercial success of his inventions, Hall’s recognition was primarily scientific and academic rather than financial.
- The American Chemical Society (ACS) Award for Creative Invention (1970): Specifically for his work on diamond synthesis.
- The Chemical Pioneer Award (1970): From the American Institute of Chemists.
- The ASME Award (1974): From the American Society of Mechanical Engineers for his contributions to high-pressure technology.
- Governor’s Medal for Science and Technology (1994): Awarded by the State of Utah.
- Honorary Doctorate: Awarded by Brigham Young University.
While many in the scientific community believed Hall’s work warranted a Nobel Prize, the Nobel Committee’s historical hesitation to award "industrial" chemistry meant the prize eluded him.
5. Impact & Legacy
Tracy Hall’s work ended the monopoly on diamonds held by mining conglomerates and birthed a multi-billion-dollar industry.
- Industrial Revolution: Today, over 90% of diamonds used in industrial applications (drilling, grinding, and precision cutting) are synthetic. Hall’s work made high-speed machining and deep-crust oil drilling economically viable.
- Scientific Advancement: The high-pressure techniques he pioneered allowed scientists to simulate the conditions of the Earth’s mantle, leading to breakthroughs in geology and planetary science.
- Entrepreneurship: Hall co-founded MegaDiamond and Novatek, companies that pioneered the use of diamonds in oil-well drill bits and high-pressure seals.
6. Collaborations
- Henry Eyring: His PhD advisor, who provided the theoretical framework of "Absolute Reaction Rate Theory" that Hall applied to the graphite-to-diamond transition.
- The GE "Diamond Team": Herbert Strong, Francis Bundy, and Robert Wentorf. While the relationship eventually became strained due to credit disputes, their collaborative effort at GE from 1951–1954 was one of the most successful corporate research projects in history.
- BYU Graduate Students: Hall mentored dozens of students who went on to lead the high-pressure research departments of major corporations and universities worldwide.
7. Lesser-Known Facts
- The $10 Reward: After inventing a process that would eventually generate billions of dollars for General Electric, the company famously rewarded Hall with a $10 U.S. Savings Bond. This perceived slight was a major factor in his decision to leave GE for academia.
- The "Junk" Press: Hall’s first successful diamond press at GE was built using a used 1,000-ton hydraulic press that was originally destined for the scrap heap. He was known for his "MacGyver-like" ability to build world-class instruments from humble materials.
- A Quiet Faith: Hall was a devout member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Later in life, he and his wife, Ida-Rose Langford, served a full-time mission for the church in Zimbabwe, where he applied his problem-solving skills to local agricultural challenges.
- Personal Ancestry: He was the great-grandson of Thomas Bingham, an early Utah pioneer, which perhaps contributed to his "pioneer spirit" in the laboratory.
Tracy Hall passed away on July 25, 2008, in Provo, Utah. He left behind a world that is literally "harder" and more efficient because of his refusal to believe that the Earth’s most precious stone could only be made by nature.