Historical Figure
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff
1852–1911
Dutch physical and organic chemist (1852–1911)
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Biography
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff Jr. was a Dutch physical chemist. A highly influential theoretical chemist, in 1901 Van 't Hoff won the first the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "[for his] discovery of the laws of chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions". His pioneering work helped found the modern theory of chemical affinity, chemical equilibrium, chemical kinetics, and chemical thermodynamics. In his 1874 pamphlet, Van 't Hoff formulated the theory of the tetrahedral carbon atom and laid the foundations of stereochemistry. In 1875, he predicted the correct structures of allenes and cumulenes as well as their axial chirality. He is also widely considered one of the founders of physical chemistry as the discipline is known today.
Timeline
The story of Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, told in moments.
Published a pamphlet proposing that carbon atoms arrange themselves in three-dimensional space. He was 22. The idea of the tetrahedral carbon atom was the foundation of stereochemistry. Most established chemists dismissed it.
Published Studies in Chemical Dynamics. He described how chemical reactions proceed and what determines their speed. It laid the groundwork for physical chemistry as a distinct field.
Won the first Nobel Prize in Chemistry ever awarded. The committee cited his work on solutions, osmotic pressure, and chemical equilibrium. He was the starting line for every chemist who won after him.
Artifacts (3)
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