Contents
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff
Helping establish stereochemistry and winning the first Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
Tetrahedral carbon · Chemical Dynamics
- Born
- 30 August 1852
- Birthplace
- Rotterdam, Netherlands
- Died
- 1 March 1911
More people
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff
Jacobus Henricus van ’t Hoff was a Dutch chemist who connected molecular structure, reaction rates and the behaviour of solutions.
Early life
Nature and books
Enjoyed botanical walks, poetry and philosophy.
Chemistry studies
Studied in Delft, Leiden, Bonn and Paris before earning a doctorate at Utrecht.
Career
- 1874
Doctorate
Completed his PhD and published his structural theory.
- 1877
Amsterdam professor
Began a long university appointment.
- 1896
Berlin move
Joined the Prussian Academy of Sciences.
Contributions
Tetrahedral carbon
Proposed a three-dimensional arrangement of carbon bonds, independently of Joseph Le Bel.
Chemical Dynamics
Published research on reaction rates and equilibrium.
Nobel Prize
Received the first chemistry award for work on dynamics and osmotic pressure.
Beyond the lab
Poetry
Admired Lord Byron and wrote verse.
Family
Married Johanna Francina Mees and had four children.
Sources & photo credit
Biography and career ↗Further source ↗Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
Photo: Nicola Perscheid. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
