Arrhenius

Arrhenius, Svante (1859-1927), famous Swedish physical chemist. While still a student, A. began working in physics with Academician Englund; in 1882 he already undertook independent research on the conductivity of electrolytes, which subsequently formed the basis for his theory of electrolytic dissociation, which made A. a major name in science. He managed to explain the most important properties of solutions; although initially the theory of electrolytic dissociation was met with hostility, it subsequently received universal recognition. The interests of A. were not limited to physical chemistry: interested in astronomy and biochemistry, he created a theory explaining the deviation of comet tails by light pressure, and wrote several popular books that earned him fame as one of the best popularizers in the world. For physicians, A. is valuable because he was one of the first to introduce the principles and methods of physical chemistry into biochemistry and immunochemistry. A. attached great importance to precise methods and the identification of quantitative laws in biological sciences. In the preface to his book "Quantitative laws in biological chemistry", published in 1915, A. writes: "Physical chemists have come to the conclusion that those biological theories which still find acceptance in medical circles are based on completely incorrect views and must be replaced by other concepts consistent with the fundamental laws of general chemistry." A himself applied physico-chemical methods to the study of the complex and intricate reactions that occur between toxins and antitoxins. A. proved that reversible chemical processes occur here. The results obtained he presented in his book "Immuno-chemie". In 1903, Arrhenius received the Nobel Prize. In his later years, Arrhenius served as director of the Nobel Physico-Chemical Institute in Stockholm.