Editing Thomas Graham (chemist) (section)

==Scientific works==

{{expand section|further information, based on verifiable sources, elaborating on Graham's laws, and extending the information on Graham's contributions|small=no|date=July 2015}}
Thomas Graham is known for his studies on the behavior of gases, which resulted in his formulation of two relationships, both since becoming known as "Graham's laws," the first regarding gas [[diffusion]],<ref name="Cussler2009">{{cite book|author=E. L. Cussler|title=Diffusion: Mass Transfer in Fluid Systems|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dq6LdJyN8ScC&pg=PA13|date=2009|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-87121-1|pages=13–}}</ref> and the second regarding gas [[effusion]].<ref name="Trefil2003">{{cite book|author=James S. Trefil|title=The Nature of Science: An A–Z Guide to the Laws and Principles Governing Our Universe|url=https://archive.org/details/natureofsciencea00tref|url-access=registration|year=2003|publisher=Houghton Mifflin Harcourt|isbn=978-0-618-31938-1|pages=[https://archive.org/details/natureofsciencea00tref/page/187 187]–}}</ref> In the former case, Graham deduced that when measured repeatedly under the same conditions of pressure and temperature, the rate of diffusive mixing of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its density, and given the relationship between [[density]] and [[molar mass]], also inversely proportional to the square root of its [[molar mass]].{{clarify|date=July 2015}}{{dubious|date=July 2015}} In the same way, in the latter case, regarding [[effusion]] of a gas through a pin hole in to a vacuum, Graham deduced that the rate of [[effusion]] of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its molar mass. These two are sometimes referred to as a combined law (describing both phenomena).

In applied areas, Graham also made fundamental discoveries related to [[dialysis (biochemistry)|dialysis]], a process used in research and industrial settings, as well as in modern health care. Graham's study of [[colloids]] resulted in his ability to separate colloids and crystalloids using a so-called "dialyzer", using technology that is a rudimentary forerunner of technology in modern [[kidney dialysis]] machines. These studies were foundational in the field known as [[colloid]] [[chemistry]], and Graham is credited as one of its founders.<ref name="Ghosh2009">{{cite book|author=Pallab Ghosh|title=Colloid and Interface Science|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=5j3jt06Fcs8C&pg=PA1|year=2009|publisher=PHI Learning Pvt. Ltd.|isbn=978-81-203-3857-9|pages=1–}}</ref>

He also proposed the [[association theory]] which claimed that the substances such as [[cellulose]] or [[starch]] that we now know are polymers are composed from smaller molecules hold together by unknown forces. It remained the most popular explanation until [[Hermann Staudinger]]'s [[macromolecular]] theory of 1920s.