Today's KNOWLEDGE Share :Svante August Arrhenius-Nobel Prize 1903

Today's KNOWLEDGE Share

Svante August Arrhenius-Nobel Prize 1903

This Swedish physical chemist is best known for his theory of electrolytic dissociation in aqueous solution, first presented for his doctorate thesis at the University of Uppsala when he was 24. The idea that oppositely charged ions resulting from dissociation of molecules could be present in the same solution initially met a hostile reception, but with support from Ostwald, van't Hoff and others the theory was gradually accepted.

Arrhenius was able to demonstrate the effect of electrolytic dissociation on osmotic pressure, lowering the freezing point, and increasing the boiling point of solutions containing electrolytes.

He then examined the relationship between toxins and antitoxins, their importance in relation to biological problems such as serum therapy, digestion and absorption, as well as gastric and pancreatic juices. The great importance of electrolytic dissociation theory is universally accepted today, even if some modifications have been found necessary.

Arrhenius also applied physicochemical principles to the study of meteorology, cosmology, and biochemistry. In meteorology, he predicted the scientific conclusion that increased concentrations of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere cause global warming.

Svante Arrhenius made important contributions to our understanding of the greenhouse effect and the role of greenhouse gases in Earth’s climate. In 1896, he published an article entitled “On the Influence of Carbonic Acid in the Air upon the Temperature of the Ground,”which suggested that the increase in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere caused by human activities could lead to global warming.

Arrhenius suggested that the carbon dioxide, water vapor and other gases in the Earth’s atmosphere acted like a greenhouse by trapping heat from the sun and preventing it from escaping back into space. He calculated that doubling the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere could raise global temperatures by up to 5-6 degrees Celsius.

He is also known for the Arrhenius Equation k = A exp -E/RT, which describes the effect of temperature on reaction rates. He was instrumental in establishing physical chemistry as a separate discipline. A man of eclectic scientific interests, he later published papers on immunology, cosmology and geology. He was awarded the 1903 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Source:turkchem.net/chemistry.msu.net

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