Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff was born on 30 August 1852 in Rotterdam. A Dutch physical and organic chemist, Van 't Hoff was a founder of stereochemistry and of physical chemistry. In 1874 he proposed that the four bonds of a carbon atom are directed toward the corners of a tetrahedron, explaining the existence of optical isomers. He later studied chemical equilibria and the rates of reaction, and showed that the laws governing the behavior of gases apply to dilute solutions through the theory of osmotic pressure. He worked in Amsterdam and Berlin, and in 1901 he was awarded the first Nobel Prize in Chemistry, for discovering the laws of chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions.
Before and after
- 3 February 1852Battle of Caseros
- 21 February 1852Death of Nikolai Gogol
- 20 March 1852Publication of Uncle Tom's Cabin
- 25 June 1852Birth of Antoni Gaudí
- 30 August 1852Birth of Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff
- 11 September 1852Revolution of 11 September 1852
- 25 November 1852Earthquake in Bandanaira, Maluku, Indonesia
- 27 November 1852Death of Ada Lovelace
- from 2 December 1852 to 4 September 1870Second French Empire
More in Science & technology
- 1766Discovery of hydrogen
- 1772Discovery of barium
- 18 August 1868Discovery of helium
- 1875Discovery of gallium
- 1898Discovery of radium
- 1898Discovery of krypton
The era
This moment belongs to the Industrial era (1760 CE to 1914 CE), steam, factories and revolutions. You can also browse everything in the 19th century.