Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff

Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff Jr.
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff Jr.
	Van 't Hoff in 1904
Born	30 August 1852; Rotterdam, Netherlands
Died	1 March 1911 (aged 58); Steglitz, Berlin, German Empire
Alma mater	Delft University of Technology; University of Leiden; University of Bonn; University of Paris; University of Utrecht;
Known for	One of the founders of stereochemistry and physical chemistry; Modern concept of chemical affinity; Predicting the structure of tetrahedral carbon atom (asymmetric carbon); Predicting the existence of chiral allenes; Stereoisomerism; Chemical thermodynamics; Chemical kinetics; Chemical equilibrium; Osmotic pressure; Van 't Hoff equation; Van 't Hoff factor; Le Bel–Van 't Hoff rule;
Awards	Davy Medal (1893); Pour le Mérite (1895); ForMemRS (1897); Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1901); Helmholtz Medal (1911)
	Scientific career
Fields	Physical chemistry; Organic chemistry; Theoretical chemistry
Institutions	Veterinary College in Utrecht; University of Amsterdam; University of Berlin;
Doctoral advisor	Eduard Mulder
Doctoral students	Ernst Cohen
Other notable students	Frederick G. Donnan

Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff Jr. (Dutch: [vɑn (ə)t ˈɦɔf]; 30 August 1852 – 1 March 1911) was a Dutch physical chemist. A highly influential theoretical chemist, in 1901 Van 't Hoff won the first Nobel Prize in Chemistry "[for his] discovery of the laws of chemical dynamics and osmotic pressure in solutions". His pioneering work helped found the modern theory of chemical affinity, chemical equilibrium, chemical kinetics, and chemical thermodynamics. In his 1874 pamphlet, Van 't Hoff formulated the theory of the tetrahedral carbon atom and laid the foundations of stereochemistry. In 1875, he predicted the correct structures of allenes and cumulenes as well as their axial chirality. He is also widely considered one of the founders of physical chemistry as the discipline is known today.