Word: gadolinium
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Dates: during 1930-1939
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Lately the struggle toward Absolute Zero has been led by Holland's University of Leyden and the University of California, both of which have tremendous magnets. For the final push they used highly magnetic salts-gadolinium sulphate octahydrate in California, cerium fluoride in Leyden. In 1933 Leyden was within .27° C. of Absolute Zero. Then California got it down to .16°. Then Leyden reached...
...strike at cold. Professor Giauque used gadolinium sulfate octahydrate, a colorless crystal substance derived from a rare earth metal. This he cooled to about -306.4° F., when he began wrenching the molecules with a huge magnet which University of California owns. Liquid helium absorbed and withdrew the magnetically generated heat. At -459.1° Professor Giauque was stopped, regretting that he could not stride the stupendously difficult little step of .3° which would carry him to Absolute Zero where substances should retain no more heat, where molecular activity should completely cease. where all things should be coldly inert...