Pierre Van Rysselberghe
Pierre van Rysselberghe | |
|---|---|
| Born | May 18, 1905 Brussels, Belgium |
| Died | August 21, 1977 (aged 72) Palo Alto |
| Alma mater | Université libre de Bruxelles Stanford University |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Electrochemistry |
| Institutions | University of Oregon Stanford University |
| Doctoral advisor | James William McBain |
Pierre Van Rysselberghe (May 18, 1905 – August 21, 1977)[1] was a Belgian-American chemist who contributed significantly to the field of electrochemistry.
Biography
[edit]Rysselberghe was born in Brussels in 1905.[2] He studied engineering at the L'École polytechnique de Bruxelles (today part of the Université libre de Bruxelles).[3] He moved to the United States for graduate studies, receiving a PhD in chemistry from Stanford University in 1930 under the supervision of James William McBain.[2] He became an assistant professor at Stanford the following year and moved to the University of Oregon in 1941, where he helped rebuild the chemistry department following its closure in the 1932.[4] In 1956 he returned to Stanford, where he remained until his retirement in 1970.[2][5]
Rysselberghe met his wife Lily at Stanford, who was studying bacteriology[6] at the same time as he was doing his PhD.[7] They had at least three children. He died in 1977 following a lengthy illness.[1]
Scientific career
[edit]Rysselsberghe focused on irreversible electrochemical processes for most of his life, particularly corrosion and electrolysis. He also contributed to the development of kinetic and thermodynamic theories of electrochemistry.
In the 1940s and 1950s, Rysselberghe and his student Paul Delahy collaborated with his former classmate Marcel Pourbaix to study the stability of various oxidation states of lead[8] and silver,[9] which later became part of Pourbaix's project to create potential-pH diagrams of a large number of elements.[10]
In 1949, Rysselberghe, together with several of his European colleagues, co-founded and served as the first president of the International Committee of Electrochemical Thermodynamics and Kinetics, which later became the International Society of Electrochemistry.[6] Rysselberghe also contributed to the standardization of modern electrochemical nomenclature by the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry.[3][11]
Rysselberghe was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1961.[12]
References
[edit]- ^ a b Ibl, N. (July 1978). "Pierre Van Rysselberghe (18 May 1905–21 August 1977)". Electrochimica Acta. 23 (7): 583. doi:10.1016/0013-4686(78)80084-X.
- ^ a b c "Pierre Van Rysselberghe". Stanford University School of Humanities and Science. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ a b Delahay, P (May 2000). "The precursor of the International Society of Electrochemistry". Electrochimica Acta. 45 (15–16): XXV–XXVI. doi:10.1016/S0013-4686(00)00351-0.
- ^ Griffith, Hayes (2003). "Special Historical Edition". University of Oregon Chemistry News. pp. 1–3.
- ^ "Pierre Van Rysselsberghe (Obituary)". The San Francisco Examiner. August 23, 1977. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ a b Delahay, Paul (2003). "Recollections: Oregon 1948–49: A Tribute to Pierre Van Rysselberghe—A Pioneer in Physical Chemistry". University of Oregon Chemistry News.
- ^ "Pierre Louis Van Rysselberghe Obituary". Eugene Register-Guard. 2025-04-22. Retrieved 2025-06-08.
- ^ Delahay, Paul; Pourbaix, Marcel; Rysselberghe, Pierre Van (1951). "Potential-pH Diagram of Lead and its Applications to the Study of Lead Corrosion and to the Lead Storage Battery". Journal of the Electrochemical Society. 98 (2): 57. doi:10.1149/1.2778106.
- ^ Delahay, Paul; Pourbaix, Marcel; Rysselberghe, Pierre Van (1951). "Potential-pH Diagram of Silver Construction of the Diagram—Its Applications to the Study of the Properties of the Metal, its Compounds, and its Corrosion". Journal of the Electrochemical Society. 98 (2): 65. doi:10.1149/1.2778107.
- ^ Katz, Evgeny (February 2023). "Electrochemical contributions: Marcel Pourbaix (1904–1998)". Electrochemical Science Advances. 3 (1). doi:10.1002/elsa.202200015. ISSN 2698-5977.
- ^ Van Rysselberghe, P. (November 1964). "Electrochemical nomenclature and definitions". Electrochimica Acta. 9 (11): 1343–1371. doi:10.1016/0013-4686(64)85016-7.
- ^ "Nomination Archive". NobelPrize.org. 21 May 2024. Retrieved 2025-06-08.