Jacobus Van’t Hoff

Jacobus Van’t Hoff

Posted by Isra Anwar

July 30, 2014

Jacobus Van’t Hoff (August 30, 1852 - March 1, 1911) is an organic chemist and physicist from the Netherlands as well as the winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry. His research on chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, osmotic pressure and kristalogarafi used as main job. Jacobus had helped found the field of physical chemistry as we know it today, he was also designated as one of the well-known chemist with the French chemist Antoine Lavosier, Louis Pasteur, and the German chemist Friedrich Wohler. He was born in Rotterdam, the son of a medical doctor. Since childhood he was interested in natural science, he often participated in tours of botany and his ideas about philosophy and passion for poetry seen since he started school.

Contrary to the expectations of his father, he wanted to study chemistry. He first studied at Delft Polytechnic Institute, then at the University of Leiden, then in Bonn, Germany (there he studied with Friedrich Kekulé), then in Paris (there he studied with C. A Wurtz), and in the end he received his doctorate in Utrecht University in 1874 before receiving his doctorate, Van't Hoff was ready to publish his most important contribution to organic chemistry. In 1874, he had predicted symptom optical activity by assuming that the presence of chemical bonds between carbon atoms with atoms form a tetrahedron neighbors. This 3D structure secaara perfect used separately isomers found in nature (streokimia). For this idea, he shared the award with the French chemist, Joseph le Bel that also suggests the same thing.

In 1884 Hoff publish research on chemical kinetics Etudes de Dynamique named Chimique (Learning chemical kinetics). Here he describes a new method for determining the order of the reaction using the graphs, and apply the laws of thermodynamics to chemical equilibrium. He also introduced the modern concept of chemical affinity. In 1886 he showed a similarity between a liquid and a gas. Until 1895, he examined the theory of electrolytic dissociation Svante Arhenius about. In 1896, he became professor at the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin. In 1897, he and German chemist Wilhelm Ostwald published a popular knowledge mejalah Zeitschrift fur Physikalische named Chemie (Journal of physical chemistry).

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Van't Hoff became professor of physical chemistry at the University of Veterinary, Utrecht. He then became professor of chemistry, Mineralogy and geology at the University of Amsterdam for almost 18 years before becoming chairman of the chemistry department. In 1896, Van't Hoff moved to Germany and completed his career at the University of Berlin until 1911 In 1901, he received the first Nobel Prize in Chemistry for research on solutions. In 1885, he was assigned as a member of the Royal Dutch Academy of Science. Other honors include the honorary doctorate degree from Harvard and Yale in 1908, Davy medal of the empire in 1893 (shared premises le Bel), Helmholtz scientists medal in 1911 the Prussian Academy Moreover, it is also designated as a Chevalier de la Legion d 'Honeour 1894, Senator der Kaiser-Wilhelm-Gesellschaft (1911). Van't Hoff also include the honorary members of the British chemist in London, the Royal Academy of Sciences at Gottingen in 1892, the American chemist in 1898, and the Academy of Sciences in Paris in 1905 he was really a leading scientist at the time. Over a number of honors in chemistry as the peak of his career. Jacobus died at the age of 58 years on March 1 at Steglitz near Berlin.

That article about one of the world famous chemist "Jacobus Van't Hoff", known for his most important contribution in the field of chemical solutions. With a number of awards that he achieved and the acceptance of the Nobel, which is the highest award, Jacobus Van't Hoff is a scientist who received the appreciation of other scientists from various countries in the world.