Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff: Difference between revisions
Deutschgirl (talk | contribs) copy edited and moved pictures |
Deutschgirl (talk | contribs) Removed subsection headers from career; more copy editing |
||
Line 20: | Line 20: | ||
}} |
}} |
||
'''Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff''' (30 August 1852 – 1 March 1911) was a [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[physical chemistry|physical]] and [[organic chemistry|organic chemist]] and the first winner of the inaugural [[Nobel Prize in chemistry]]. His is most well know for research in [[chemical kinetics]], [[chemical equilibrium]], [[osmotic pressure]] and [[stereochemistry]]. |
'''Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff''' (30 August 1852 – 1 March 1911) was a [[Netherlands|Dutch]] [[physical chemistry|physical]] and [[organic chemistry|organic chemist]] and the first winner of the inaugural [[Nobel Prize in chemistry]]. His is most well know for research in [[chemical kinetics]], [[chemical equilibrium]], [[osmotic pressure]] and [[stereochemistry]]. van 't Hoff work in these subjects helped found the discipline of physical chemistry as it is known today. |
||
==Biography== |
==Biography== |
||
van 't Hoff was born in [[Rotterdam]], Netherlands, and was the third of seven children. His father was Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, a physician, and his mother was Alida Jacoba Kolff.<ref>[http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/1901/hoff-bio.html Biography on Nobel prize website]</ref> From a young age he was interested in science and nature, and frequently took part in botanical excursions. In his early school years, he showed a strong interest in [[poetry]] and [[philosophy]]. He considered [[Lord Byron]] to be his idol. |
|||
Against the wishes of his father, van't Hoff chose to study [[chemistry]], first at the [[Delft University of Technology|Delft Polytechnic Institute]], then latter at the [[University of Leiden]]. He then studied in [[Bonn]], Germany with [[Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz|Friedrich Kekulé]] and in Paris with [[Charles-Adolphe Wurtz|C. A. Wurtz]]. He received his [[Doctor of Philosophy|doctorate]] under [[Eduard Mulder]] at the [[Utrecht University|University of Utrecht]] in 1874. <ref>[http://dap.library.uu.nl/cgi-bin/dap/dap?diss_id=7506 Entry in Digital Album Promotorum] of [[Utrecht University]]</ref> |
Against the wishes of his father, van 't Hoff chose to study [[chemistry]], first at the [[Delft University of Technology|Delft Polytechnic Institute]], then latter at the [[University of Leiden]]. He then studied in [[Bonn]], Germany with [[Friedrich August Kekulé von Stradonitz|Friedrich Kekulé]] and in Paris with [[Charles-Adolphe Wurtz|C. A. Wurtz]]. He received his [[Doctor of Philosophy|doctorate]] under [[Eduard Mulder]] at the [[Utrecht University|University of Utrecht]] in 1874. <ref>[http://dap.library.uu.nl/cgi-bin/dap/dap?diss_id=7506 Entry in Digital Album Promotorum] of [[Utrecht University]]</ref> |
||
In 1878, van 't Hoff married Johanna Francina Mees. They had two daughters, Johanna Francina (b. 1880) and Aleida Jacoba (b. 1882), and two sons, Jacobus Hendricus (b. 1883) and Govert Jacob (b. 1889). |
In 1878, van 't Hoff married Johanna Francina Mees. They had two daughters, Johanna Francina (b. 1880) and Aleida Jacoba (b. 1882), and two sons, Jacobus Hendricus (b. 1883) and Govert Jacob (b. 1889). van 't Hoff died at the age of 58, on 1 March 1911, at [[Steglitz]] near Berlin from [[tuberculosis]]. |
||
==Career== |
==Career== |
||
⚫ | |||
===Contributions to chemistry=== |
|||
⚫ | |||
Before he received his doctorate, van 't Hoff had already published the first of his important contributions to the field of [[organic chemistry]]. In 1874 he accounted for the phenomenon of [[optical activity]] by assuming that the [[chemical bond]]s between [[carbon]] [[atom]]s and their neighbors were directed towards the corners of a regular [[tetrahedron]]<ref>http://www.youtube.com/user/periodicvideos#p/u/0/b_L9DcGiXyc</ref>. This three-dimensional structure accounted for the [[isomer]]s found in nature. He shares credit for this idea with the French chemist [[Joseph Le Bel]], who independently came up with the same idea. |
Before he received his doctorate, van 't Hoff had already published the first of his important contributions to the field of [[organic chemistry]]. In 1874 he accounted for the phenomenon of [[optical activity]] by assuming that the [[chemical bond]]s between [[carbon]] [[atom]]s and their neighbors were directed towards the corners of a regular [[tetrahedron]]<ref>http://www.youtube.com/user/periodicvideos#p/u/0/b_L9DcGiXyc</ref>. This three-dimensional structure accounted for the [[isomer]]s found in nature. He shares credit for this idea with the French chemist [[Joseph Le Bel]], who independently came up with the same idea. |
||
van 't Hoff published his work on [[stereochemistry]] in his book ''La chimie dans l'éspace'', in 1874. At the time, his theory was considered revolutionary, and was strongly criticized by the scientific community. One such critic was the renowned editor of the German ''Journal für praktische Chemie'', [[Adolph Kolbe]], who stated: |
|||
<blockquote>A Dr. H. van ’t Hoff of the Veterinary School at Utrecht has no liking, apparently, for exact chemical investigation. He has considered it more comfortable to mount Pegasus (apparently borrowed from the Veterinary School) and to proclaim in his ''‘La chimie dans l’espace’'' how the atoms appear to him to be arranged in space, when he is on the chemical Mt. Parnassus which he has reached by bold flight. </blockquote> |
<blockquote>A Dr. H. van ’t Hoff of the Veterinary School at Utrecht has no liking, apparently, for exact chemical investigation. He has considered it more comfortable to mount Pegasus (apparently borrowed from the Veterinary School) and to proclaim in his ''‘La chimie dans l’espace’'' how the atoms appear to him to be arranged in space, when he is on the chemical Mt. Parnassus which he has reached by bold flight. </blockquote> |
||
In 1884, van 't Hoff published his research on chemical kinetics, titled ''Études de Dynamique chimique'' (''"Studies in Chemical Dynamics"''), in which he described a new method for determining the [[Order (chemistry)|order of a reaction]] using [[graphics]], and applied the laws of [[thermodynamics]] to chemical equilibria. He also introduced the modern concept of [[chemical affinity]]. In 1886, he showed a similarity between the behaviour of dilute solutions and gases. In 1887, he and German chemist [[Wilhelm Ostwald]] founded an influential scientific magazine named ''Zeitschrift für physikalische Chemie'' ''("Journal of Physical Chemistry")''. He worked on [[Svante Arrhenius]]'s theory of the dissociation of [[electrolytes]] and in 1889 provided physical justification for the [[Arrhenius equation]]. In 1896, he became professor at the ''Prussian Academy of Science'' in Berlin. His studies of the salt deposits at [[Stassfurt]] were an important contribution to Prussia's chemical industry. |
In 1884, van 't Hoff published his research on chemical kinetics, titled ''Études de Dynamique chimique'' (''"Studies in Chemical Dynamics"''), in which he described a new method for determining the [[Order (chemistry)|order of a reaction]] using [[graphics]], and applied the laws of [[thermodynamics]] to chemical equilibria. He also introduced the modern concept of [[chemical affinity]]. In 1886, he showed a similarity between the behaviour of dilute solutions and gases. In 1887, he and German chemist [[Wilhelm Ostwald]] founded an influential scientific magazine named ''Zeitschrift für physikalische Chemie'' ''("Journal of Physical Chemistry")''. He worked on [[Svante Arrhenius]]'s theory of the dissociation of [[electrolytes]] and in 1889 provided physical justification for the [[Arrhenius equation]]. In 1896, he became a professor at the ''Prussian Academy of Science'' in Berlin. His studies of the salt deposits at [[Stassfurt]] were an important contribution to Prussia's chemical industry. |
||
⚫ | van 't Hoff became a lecturer in chemistry and physics at the [[Veterinary medicine|Veterinary]] College in [[Utrecht (city)|Utrecht]]. He then worked as a professor of [[chemistry]], [[mineralogy]], and [[geology]] at the [[University of Amsterdam]] for almost 18 years before eventually becoming the chairman of the chemistry department. In 1896 van 't Hoff moved to Germany where he finished his career at the [[University of Berlin]] in 1911. In 1901 he received the first [[Nobel Prize in chemistry]] for his work with [[solution]]s. His work showed that very dilute solutions follow mathematical laws that closely resemble the laws describing the behavior of [[gas]]es. |
||
===The Nobel Prize in Chemistry=== |
|||
⚫ | |||
==Honours and awards== |
==Honours and awards== |
||
[[Image:J.H. van 't Hoff.gif|thumb|150px| |
[[Image:J.H. van 't Hoff.gif|thumb|150px| van 't Hoff in the 1900s at the height of his career.]] |
||
⚫ | In 1885, van 't Hoff was appointed as a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. Other distinctions include honorary doctorates from Harvard and Yale (1901), Victoria University, Manchester (1903), and Heidelberg (1908). He was awarded the Davy Medal of the Royal Society in 1893 (along with [[Joseph Le Bel|Le Bel]]), and the Helmholtz Medal of the Prussian Academy of Sciences (1911). He was also appointed Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (1894) and Senator der Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft (1911). van 't Hoff became an honorary member of the British Chemical Society in London, the Royal Academy of Sciences in [[Göttingen]] (1892), American Chemical Society (1898), and the Académie des Sciences, in Paris (1905). Of his numerous distinctions, van 't Hoff regarded winning the first Nobel Prize in Chemistry as the culmination of his career. |
||
In 1885, van't Hoff was appointed as a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. |
|||
⚫ | Other distinctions |
||
{{clear}} |
{{clear}} |
||
==See also== |
==See also== |
||
{{commons|Jacobus van 't Hoff}} |
{{commons|Jacobus van 't Hoff}} |
||
Line 66: | Line 64: | ||
*Patrick Coffey, Cathedrals of Science: The Personalities and Rivalries That Made Modern Chemistry, Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-19-532134-0 |
*Patrick Coffey, Cathedrals of Science: The Personalities and Rivalries That Made Modern Chemistry, Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-19-532134-0 |
||
*Hornix WJ, Mannaerts SHWM, |
*Hornix WJ, Mannaerts SHWM, van't Hoff and the emergence of Chemical Thermodynamics, Delft University Press, 2001, ISBN 90-407-2259-5 |
||
==External links== |
==External links== |
Revision as of 22:38, 29 August 2010
This article may require copy editing for prose flow. (January 2009) |
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff | |
---|---|
Born | 30 August 1852 Rotterdam, Netherlands |
Died | 1 March 1911 Steglitz, Berlin, Germany | (aged 58)
Nationality | Dutch |
Alma mater | Delft Polytechnic Institute University of Leiden University of Bonn University of Paris University of Utrecht |
Known for | Chemical kinetics, Stereochemistry |
Awards | Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1901) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Physical chemistry Organic chemistry |
Institutions | Veterinary College in Utrecht University of Amsterdam University of Berlin |
Doctoral advisor | Eduard Mulder |
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff (30 August 1852 – 1 March 1911) was a Dutch physical and organic chemist and the first winner of the inaugural Nobel Prize in chemistry. His is most well know for research in chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, osmotic pressure and stereochemistry. van 't Hoff work in these subjects helped found the discipline of physical chemistry as it is known today.
Biography
van 't Hoff was born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and was the third of seven children. His father was Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, a physician, and his mother was Alida Jacoba Kolff.[1] From a young age he was interested in science and nature, and frequently took part in botanical excursions. In his early school years, he showed a strong interest in poetry and philosophy. He considered Lord Byron to be his idol.
Against the wishes of his father, van 't Hoff chose to study chemistry, first at the Delft Polytechnic Institute, then latter at the University of Leiden. He then studied in Bonn, Germany with Friedrich Kekulé and in Paris with C. A. Wurtz. He received his doctorate under Eduard Mulder at the University of Utrecht in 1874. [2]
In 1878, van 't Hoff married Johanna Francina Mees. They had two daughters, Johanna Francina (b. 1880) and Aleida Jacoba (b. 1882), and two sons, Jacobus Hendricus (b. 1883) and Govert Jacob (b. 1889). van 't Hoff died at the age of 58, on 1 March 1911, at Steglitz near Berlin from tuberculosis.
Career
Before he received his doctorate, van 't Hoff had already published the first of his important contributions to the field of organic chemistry. In 1874 he accounted for the phenomenon of optical activity by assuming that the chemical bonds between carbon atoms and their neighbors were directed towards the corners of a regular tetrahedron[3]. This three-dimensional structure accounted for the isomers found in nature. He shares credit for this idea with the French chemist Joseph Le Bel, who independently came up with the same idea.
van 't Hoff published his work on stereochemistry in his book La chimie dans l'éspace, in 1874. At the time, his theory was considered revolutionary, and was strongly criticized by the scientific community. One such critic was the renowned editor of the German Journal für praktische Chemie, Adolph Kolbe, who stated:
A Dr. H. van ’t Hoff of the Veterinary School at Utrecht has no liking, apparently, for exact chemical investigation. He has considered it more comfortable to mount Pegasus (apparently borrowed from the Veterinary School) and to proclaim in his ‘La chimie dans l’espace’ how the atoms appear to him to be arranged in space, when he is on the chemical Mt. Parnassus which he has reached by bold flight.
In 1884, van 't Hoff published his research on chemical kinetics, titled Études de Dynamique chimique ("Studies in Chemical Dynamics"), in which he described a new method for determining the order of a reaction using graphics, and applied the laws of thermodynamics to chemical equilibria. He also introduced the modern concept of chemical affinity. In 1886, he showed a similarity between the behaviour of dilute solutions and gases. In 1887, he and German chemist Wilhelm Ostwald founded an influential scientific magazine named Zeitschrift für physikalische Chemie ("Journal of Physical Chemistry"). He worked on Svante Arrhenius's theory of the dissociation of electrolytes and in 1889 provided physical justification for the Arrhenius equation. In 1896, he became a professor at the Prussian Academy of Science in Berlin. His studies of the salt deposits at Stassfurt were an important contribution to Prussia's chemical industry.
van 't Hoff became a lecturer in chemistry and physics at the Veterinary College in Utrecht. He then worked as a professor of chemistry, mineralogy, and geology at the University of Amsterdam for almost 18 years before eventually becoming the chairman of the chemistry department. In 1896 van 't Hoff moved to Germany where he finished his career at the University of Berlin in 1911. In 1901 he received the first Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work with solutions. His work showed that very dilute solutions follow mathematical laws that closely resemble the laws describing the behavior of gases.
Honours and awards
In 1885, van 't Hoff was appointed as a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. Other distinctions include honorary doctorates from Harvard and Yale (1901), Victoria University, Manchester (1903), and Heidelberg (1908). He was awarded the Davy Medal of the Royal Society in 1893 (along with Le Bel), and the Helmholtz Medal of the Prussian Academy of Sciences (1911). He was also appointed Chevalier de la Légion d'honneur (1894) and Senator der Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft (1911). van 't Hoff became an honorary member of the British Chemical Society in London, the Royal Academy of Sciences in Göttingen (1892), American Chemical Society (1898), and the Académie des Sciences, in Paris (1905). Of his numerous distinctions, van 't Hoff regarded winning the first Nobel Prize in Chemistry as the culmination of his career.
See also
- van 't Hoff factor
- van 't Hoff equation
- Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
{{cite encyclopedia}}
: Missing or empty|title=
(help)
References
- E. W. Meijer (2001). "Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff; Hundred Years of Impact on Stereochemistry in the Netherlands". Angewandte Chemie International Edition. 40 (20): 3783. doi:10.1002/1521-3773(20011015)40:20<3783::AID-ANIE3783>3.0.CO;2-J.
- Trienke M. van der Spek (2006). "Selling a Theory: The Role of Molecular Models in J. H. van 't Hoff's Stereochemistry Theory". Annals of Science. 63 (2): 157. doi:10.1080/00033790500480816.
- Kreuzfeld HJ, Hateley MJ. (1999). "125 years of enantiomers: back to the roots Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff 1852-1911". Enantiomer. 4 (6): 491–6. PMID 10672458.
Further reading
- Patrick Coffey, Cathedrals of Science: The Personalities and Rivalries That Made Modern Chemistry, Oxford University Press, 2008. ISBN 978-0-19-532134-0
- Hornix WJ, Mannaerts SHWM, van't Hoff and the emergence of Chemical Thermodynamics, Delft University Press, 2001, ISBN 90-407-2259-5
External links
- Nobel Lecture Osmotic Pressure and Chemical Equilibrium from Nobelprize.org website
- Karl Grandin, ed. "Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff Biography". Les Prix Nobel. The Nobel Foundation. Retrieved 2008-08-15.
{{cite web}}
:|author=
has generic name (help)
- Wikipedia articles needing copy edit from January 2009
- 1852 births
- 1911 deaths
- Dutch chemists
- Dutch Nobel laureates
- Physical chemists
- Dutch physical chemists
- Leiden University alumni
- Nobel laureates in Chemistry
- People from Rotterdam
- University of Amsterdam faculty
- University of Bonn alumni
- Utrecht University alumni
- Utrecht University faculty
- Deaths from tuberculosis
- Foreign Members of the Royal Society
- Delft University of Technology alumni