Irving Langmuir was an American chemist, physicist, and metallurgical engineer. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1932 for his work in surface chemistry. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1932, announced November 10, 1932. Irving Langmuir, “for his discoveries and investigations in surface chemistry”. Irving Langmuir: born 1881, Brooklyn, NY, USA. Wiki link Data: the Nobel Foundation (CC0).