Ernst Hermann Riesenfeld (25 October 1877 – 19 May 1957) was a
German
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**Ger ...
/
Swedish
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chemist. Riesenfeld started his academic career with important contributions in
electrochemistry by the side of his mentor
Walther Nernst
Walther Hermann Nernst (; 25 June 1864 – 18 November 1941) was a German chemist known for his work in thermodynamics, physical chemistry, electrochemistry, and solid state physics. His formulation of the Nernst heat theorem helped pave the wa ...
, and continued as a professor with work on the improvement of
analytical techniques and the purification of
ozone.
Dismissed and prosecuted in Nazi Germany due to his Jewish origins, he
emigrated
Emigration is the act of leaving a resident country or place of residence with the intent to settle elsewhere (to permanently leave a country). Conversely, immigration describes the movement of people into one country from another (to permanentl ...
to Sweden in 1934 and continued his ozone-related work there until retirement.
Biography
Riesenfeld was born in
Brieg (which was then in
Prussia, but is now
Brzeg in
Poland), the son of physician (
Sanitätsrat) Dr. Emanuel Riesenfeld, and attended the local school. Following the family’s move to
Breslau (now
Wrocław,
Poland) he attended the humanistic König-Wilhelms Gymnasium, which he left in 1897 (
Max Born
Max Born (; 11 December 1882 – 5 January 1970) was a German physicist and mathematician who was instrumental in the development of quantum mechanics. He also made contributions to solid-state physics and optics and supervised the work of a n ...
attended the same Gymnasium until 1901).
He studied general natural sciences at the Universities of
Heidelberg and
Göttingen, beginning in 1899.
[Fritz Scholz (2008) Riesenfeld, Ernst Hermann, in Electrochemical Dictionary, 1st ed., Springer, Berlin, p. 587] At the latter university he mainly dealt with
physical chemistry and electrochemistry, on which he submitted his
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thesis “''Ueber elektrolytische Erscheinungen und elektromotorische Kräfte an der Grenzfläche zweier Lösungsmittel''” under the supervision of
Walther Nernst
Walther Hermann Nernst (; 25 June 1864 – 18 November 1941) was a German chemist known for his work in thermodynamics, physical chemistry, electrochemistry, and solid state physics. His formulation of the Nernst heat theorem helped pave the wa ...
. This pioneering work is remembered as the starting point of what is now known as electrochemistry at the interface between two immiscible electrolyte solutions (
ITIES),
[Jiři Koryta (1987) Electrolysis at the Interface Between Two Immiscible Electrolyte Solutions. In: The Interface Structure and ElectrochemicaL Processes at the Boundary Between Two Immiscible Liquids. Vladimir E. Kazarinov (edt.), Springer, Berlin, 3-10][Petr Vanýsek (1985) Electrochemistry on Liquid/Liquid Interfaces. Springer, Berlin][Fritz Scholz (2006) Recent Advances in the Electrochemistry of Ion Transfer Processes at Liquid-Liquid Interfaces, Annual Reports on the Progress of Chemistry, Section C 102: 43-70] an independent research field in modern times. The determination of the free energies of ion transfer between aqueous and organic solutions, which Riesenfeld investigated, is of great importance for applications in
biology,
physiology,
pharmacy
Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...
, or in the chemical laboratory technique of
liquid-liquid extraction. Riesenfeld, together with Nernst, also developed a highly sensitive torsion displacement
balance which is known as ‘Nernst balance’.
After some years as a researcher under Nernst, in 1913 Riesenfeld was appointed as a professor at the
University of Freiburg (
Freiburg im Breisgau
Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic German, Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population o ...
, Germany). In 1920 he became a professor at the
University of Berlin, where he headed a laboratory tasked with the isolation and determination of properties of pure
ozone, a task hitherto elusive due to the high explosion and toxicity risks in handling the concentrated chemical.
Among others he supervised
Georg-Maria Schwab
Georg-Maria Schwab (, el, Γεώργιος Σβαμπ; 3 February 1899 – 23 December 1984) was a German-Greek physical chemist recognised for his important contributions in the field of catalysis and the kinetics thereof.
Schwab's early acade ...
, who was the first to prepare solid ozone.
Because of his
Jewish origin, Riesenfeld lost his position in 1934 and moved to
Sweden
Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...
, where he worked until 1952 at the
Nobel Institute of Physical Chemistry. During his time at the Nobel Institute, Riesenfeld worked on the thermal formation of ozone at high temperatures.
Riesenfeld was also the author of a well-known textbook and a laboratory manual on
inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry deals with synthesis and behavior of inorganic and organometallic compounds. This field covers chemical compounds that are not carbon-based, which are the subjects of organic chemistry. The distinction between the two disci ...
; his books were published in many editions and translations.
He died in
Stockholm
Stockholm () is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, largest city of Sweden as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in Scandinavia. Approximately 980,000 people liv ...
on 19 May 1957.
[Brief biography of Ernst Hermann Riesenfeld](_blank)
on the University of Hamburg website (in German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
).
Family
In 1911 Riesenfeld married Johanna (Hanna) Johansson (1878–1964), a sister of Maria Johansson (1871–1957), the second wife of the chemist
Svante Arrhenius. They had three children:
Ernst Harald Riesenfeld (1913–2008), who became Professor of Theology (New Testament) at the
University of Uppsala, Hans Erik Riesenfeld (1914–2001), a paediatrician, and Anna Karin Riesenfeld (1920–1992), a high school teacher of languages.
Bibliography
*Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1901) ''"On electrolytic phenomena and electromotive forces at the interface between two solvents"'' (Ger., Ueber elektrolytische Erscheinungen und elektromotorische Kräfte an der Grenzfläche zweier Lösungsmittel). Dieterich’sche Universitäts-Buchdruckerei, Göttingen
*E. H. Riesenfeld (1901) ''"Über elektrolytische Erscheinungen und elektromotorische Kräfte an der Grenzfläche zweier Lösungsmittel"''
Zeitschrift für Elektrochemie 7:645-648
Walther Nernst, Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1901) ''"Über elektrolytische Erscheinungen an der Grenzfläche zweier Lösungsmittel"''
Nachrichten der Königlichen Gesellschaft der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen, No. 1, 54-61
*Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1902) ''"Über den Molekularzustand von Jodkalium in Phenol"''. Zeitschrift für physikalische Chemie 41:346-352
*
Walther Nernst
Walther Hermann Nernst (; 25 June 1864 – 18 November 1941) was a German chemist known for his work in thermodynamics, physical chemistry, electrochemistry, and solid state physics. His formulation of the Nernst heat theorem helped pave the wa ...
, Ernst H. Riesenfield (1902) ''"Ueber elektrolytische Erscheinungen an der Grenzfläche zweier Lösungsmittel"''
Annalen der Physik 313:600-608*Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1902) ''"Bestimmung der Ueberführungszahl einiger Salze in Phenol"''
Annalen der Physik 313: 609-615*Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1902) ''"Concentrationsketten mit nichtmischbaren Lösungsmitteln"''
Annalen der Physik 313: 616-624*Walther Nernst, Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1903) ''"Ueber quantitative Gewichtsanalyse mit sehr kleinen Substanzmengen"''
Chemische Berichte 36:2086-2093*Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1931) ''"Svante Arrhenius"''
Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Leipzig*Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1924) ''"Walter Nernst zu seinem sechzigsten Geburtstag"''
Angewandte Chemie 37:437-439*Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1934) ''"Lehrbuch der Anorganischen Chemie"''. S. Hirzel Verlag, Leipzig; 2nd edition F. Deuticke Verlag, Wien 1939; 3rd edition Rascher Verlag, Zürich 1943, 4th edition S. Hirzel Verlag Leipzig 1946, 5th edition Rascher Verlag, Zürich 1950; Spanish edition (1942, 1950): ''Tratado de química inorgánica''. Manuel Marín, Editor, Barcelona.
*Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1910) ''"Anorganisch-chemisches Praktikum"''. Qualitative Analyse und anorganische Präparate (17th edition Rascher Verlag, Zürich 1956); Spanish editions (1928, 1943, 1950): Prácticas de química inorgánica. Análisis cualitativo y preparaciones inorgánicas. Editorial Labor, Barcelona; French editions (1940): Manuel Pratique De Chimie Minerale (Analyse Qualitative et Preparations). Dunod, Paris
*Ernst H. Riesenfeld, M. Beja (1923) ''"Über die thermische Bildung von Ozon"''. Meddelanden från Kungliga Vetenskapsakademiens Nobelinstitut, 6, 1-20
*Ernst H. Riesenfeld and M. Beja (1924) ''"Über die thermische Bildung von Ozon"''
Zeitschrift für Anorganische und Allgemeine Chemie, 133, 245-262*Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1939) ''"Die thermische Dissoziation des Sauerstoffes"''
Zeitschrift für Anorganische und Allgemeine Chemie, 242, 47-48*Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1925) ''"Über die Ozonbildung in Glühenden Capillaren"''
Zeitschrift für Elektrochemie, 31, 435-440*Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1924) ''"Über die Bildung von Ozon und Wasserstoffsuperoxyd in der Knallgasflamme"''. Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie, 110, 801-807
*Ernst H. Riesenfeld (1929) ''"Die Bildung und Zersetzung von Ozon"''. Zeitschrift für Angewandte Chemie, 42, 729-734
Notes
External links
on the
University of Hamburg website (in
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany (of or related to)
**Germania (historical use)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law
**Ger ...
)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Riesenfeld, Ernst Hermann
1877 births
1957 deaths
People from Brzeg
People from the Province of Silesia
20th-century German chemists
20th-century Swedish chemists
German emigrants to Sweden