Frederick Kenneth McTaggart

Lore & Background

McTaggart was a ham radio enthusiast from his school years, building his own set, the 'MHS Twin', and being issued an Amateur Radio Licence in 1934. He maintained this interest throughout his life. During World War II, his initial investigation for CSIR was the chlorination of rutile from Australian heavy beach sands to produce titanium tetrachloride, which was used as a dense white smoke screen. Given an increasing wartime shortage of tin, his team also developed a process to produce titanium tetrachloride from local rutile sand as an alternative to stannic chloride.

In the 1950s, McTaggart made an extensive investigation of the sulfides, selenides and tellurides of titanium, zirconium, hafnium and thorium, synthesising and examining some fifty different compounds. This work led to a process for producing titanium sulfide-based dry lubricants for high temperatures. His pioneering studies in microwave chemistry and gas plasma reactions drew on technology derived from wartime radar electronics, using radio-frequency fields to create discharges without electrodes, thus avoiding contamination by metal from electrodes.

McTaggart worked with Harry Julius Emeléus at Cambridge in 1947–1948, and with Yvette Cauchois in Paris on x-ray absorption differences of zirconium and hafnium. He later worked for Laporte Industries in Luton, UK, before rejoining CSIRO at the end of 1952.

Reader's Guide

McTaggart's significance lies in his foundational work in microwave chemistry and gas plasma reactions, which opened new avenues for industrial applications. His development of electrode-less plasma discharges using radio-frequency fields was a key technical advance, enabling cleaner reactions. His heat-resistant paint, based on polymerised butyl titanate, was patented by CSIR and later marketed by firms in England and the USA. His studies on the chalcogenides of titanium, zirconium, hafnium and thorium contributed to understanding their chemical, electrical and lubrication properties, leading to a patented dry lubricant for high temperatures. His wartime work on titanium tetrachloride production from Australian rutile sand addressed strategic material shortages. The basic studies he conducted with Cauchois on zirconium and hafnium later contributed to CSIRO investigations for separating these metals for use in atomic reactors.

Did You Know?

• McTaggart built his own amateur radio set, the 'MHS Twin', and was issued an Amateur Radio Licence in 1934.
• During World War II, his work on chlorinating rutile produced titanium tetrachloride for use as a smoke screen.
• He developed a heat-resistant paint using polymerised butyl titanate, patented by CSIR.
• He pioneered electrode-less plasma discharges using radio-frequency fields, avoiding contamination from metal electrodes.