Georg-Maria Schwab (, el, Γεώργιος Σβαμπ; 3 February 1899 – 23 December 1984) was a
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 ...
-
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
physical chemist
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical me ...
recognised for his important contributions in the field of
catalysis
Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
and the
kinetics
Kinetics ( grc, κίνησις, , kinesis, ''movement'' or ''to move'') may refer to:
Science and medicine
* Kinetics (physics), the study of motion and its causes
** Rigid body kinetics, the study of the motion of rigid bodies
* Chemical ki ...
thereof.
Schwab's early academic career in Berlin and Würzburg (1923–1928) was characterised by meticulous experimental work as a kineticist, before starting his specialisation in
heterogeneous catalysis
In chemistry, heterogeneous catalysis is catalysis where the phase of catalysts differs from that of the reactants or products. The process contrasts with homogeneous catalysis where the reactants, products and catalyst exist in the same phase. Ph ...
in Munich (1928–1938).
Dismissed by Nazi Germany on
anti-Semitic
Antisemitism (also spelled anti-semitism or anti-Semitism) is hostility to, prejudice towards, or discrimination against Jews. A person who holds such positions is called an antisemite. Antisemitism is considered to be a form of racism.
Antis ...
grounds, with the help of his wife
Elly Agallidis the couple emigrated to Greece where they continued conducting physico-chemical research together (1939–1950).
Eventually returning to West Germany in the 1950s, Schwab served as Professor of Physical Chemistry in the
University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's List of universities in Germany, sixth-oldest u ...
until retirement (1951–1967).
Biography
Early life and career
Schwab was born in 1899 in Berlin as the second son of famed journalist and his wife, the writer Marie Köglmayr.
Both his parents originated from
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
; Josef Schwab was a
Franconian Jew and his wife a Catholic from
Upper Bavaria
Upper Bavaria (german: Oberbayern, ; ) is one of the seven administrative districts of Bavaria, Germany.
Geography
Upper Bavaria is located in the southern portion of Bavaria, and is centered on the city of Munich, both state capital and seat o ...
.
Georg-Maria finished his secondary education at the
Friedrich Wilhelm Gymnasium
The Friedrich Wilhelm Gymnasium (or Friedrich-Wilhelms-Gymnasium) was a secondary school ( ''Gymnasium'') in Berlin.
History
The school originated from a Realschule founded by the Pietist Johann Julius Hecker in 1747, the first secondary school ...
in Berlin, and upon turning 18 was conscripted for
WWI
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
and served for a year with the
Bavarian Army
The Bavarian Army was the army of the Electorate (1682–1806) and then Kingdom (1806–1919) of Bavaria. It existed from 1682 as the standing army of Bavaria until the merger of the military sovereignty (''Wehrhoheit'') of Bavaria into that of t ...
in
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
.
Following WWI, Schwab studied Chemistry and Physics in the
University of Berlin
Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative o ...
.
He continued his postgraduate studies there under the supervision of
Ernst Hermann Riesenfeld and in 1923 received his doctorate with his thesis "''Über Ozon''" (''On Ozone''), which was awarded the rare distinction ''eximium opus.''
For the following two years, until 1925, Schwab worked as a research assistant to
Max Bodenstein
Max Ernst August Bodenstein (July 15, 1871 – September 3, 1942) was a German physical chemist known for his work in chemical kinetics. He was first to postulate a chain reaction mechanism and that explosions are branched chain reactions, lat ...
, the successor 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 ...
in the Institute of Physical Chemistry that Nernst founded in Berlin.
Under Bodenstein, Schwab was initiated and trained in the field of
chemical kinetics
Chemical kinetics, also known as reaction kinetics, is the branch of physical chemistry that is concerned with understanding the rates of chemical reactions. It is to be contrasted with chemical thermodynamics, which deals with the direction in wh ...
, in which he contributed much for the rest of his career.
In 1925, he accepted a position in the
University of Würzburg
The Julius Maximilian University of Würzburg (also referred to as the University of Würzburg, in German ''Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg'') is a public research university in Würzburg, Germany. The University of Würzburg is one of ...
, initially as the assistant of
Otto Dimroth
Otto Dimroth (28 March 1872 – 16 May 1940) was a German chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the comp ...
.
He was eventually
habilitated
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...
in 1927 as a
Privatdozent
''Privatdozent'' (for men) or ''Privatdozentin'' (for women), abbreviated PD, P.D. or Priv.-Doz., is an academic title conferred at some European universities, especially in German-speaking countries, to someone who holds certain formal qualific ...
in Würzburg with his habilitation thesis on the thermal decomposition of methane and ammonia.
In 1928, after the invitation of
Heinrich Otto Wieland
Heinrich Otto Wieland (; 4 June 1877 – 5 August 1957) was a German chemist. He won the 1927 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research into the bile acids.
Career
In 1901 Wieland received his doctorate at the University of Munich while studyi ...
, Schwab began working in the inorganic laboratory at the
University of Munich
The Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich (simply University of Munich or LMU; german: Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München) is a public research university in Munich, Germany. It is Germany's List of universities in Germany, sixth-oldest u ...
and was promoted to
extraordinary professor
Academic ranks in Germany are the titles, relative importance and power of professors, researchers, and administrative personnel held in academia.
Overview
Appointment grades
* (Pay grade: ''W3'' or ''W2'')
* (''W3'')
* (''W2'')
* (''W2'', ...
in 1933.
It was during this period that he met his future wife
Elly Agallidis ( el, Έλλη Αγαλλίδου), a
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
physicist who was doing her PhD in the University of Munich.
Schwab remained at his position in Munich until 1938, when he was expelled and barred from teaching by
Nazi
Nazism ( ; german: Nazismus), the common name in English for National Socialism (german: Nationalsozialismus, ), is the far-right totalitarian political ideology and practices associated with Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party (NSDAP) in ...
authorities on account of "racial grounds" ''i.e.'' his
half-Jew
The term Halbjude (English: Half-Jew) is a derogatory term for people with a non-Jewish and a Jewish parent. The overwhelming majority of the so-called half-Jews were legally classified as " first-degree Jewish hybrids" during the era of Nazi Germ ...
ish origin.
Raised a Catholic, he had been previously unaware of his father's origin until questioned about it under the provisions of the 1933 anti-Semitic
Civil Service Law
The Law for the Restoration of the Professional Hitler Service (german: Gesetz zur Wiederherstellung des Berufsbeamtentums, shortened to ''Berufsbeamtengesetz''), also known as Civil Service Law, Civil Service Restoration Act, and Law to Re-es ...
.
Emigration to Greece
Unable to pursue his career, Schwab
emigrated from Nazi Germany to Greece in 1939,
He and Elly married in
Athens
Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates ...
in the same year.
With the connections of his wife, both started research work in the industrial chemistry laboratory of the recently founded
Kanellopoulos Institute of Chemistry and Agriculture
The Kanellopoulos Institute of Chemistry and Agriculture (, ) is a former research institute in Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the ...
in
Piraeus
Piraeus ( ; el, Πειραιάς ; grc, Πειραιεύς ) is a port city within the Athens urban area ("Greater Athens"), in the Attica region of Greece. It is located southwest of Athens' city centre, along the east coast of the Saronic ...
.
For the following years he spent in Greece, Schwab (known in Greek as Γεώργιος Σβαμπ, ) came to view Greece as "his second fatherland".
While in the Kanellopoulos Institute, a ''sui generis'' research institution for contemporary Greece, he was allowed to pursue purely scientific work; indeed Schwab had a fruitful 11-year stay marked by a series of incidental discoveries as well as systematic studies continuing his previous work on catalysis.
Schwab was in a difficult situation during the
Axis occupation of Greece, when he once again faced danger from the German occupying forces due to his Jewish background.
In 1942, the
Wehrmacht
The ''Wehrmacht'' (, ) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the ''Heer'' (army), the ''Kriegsmarine'' (navy) and the ''Luftwaffe'' (air force). The designation "''Wehrmacht''" replaced the previous ...
stripped him of his German passport. Georg-Maria escaped the fate of his brother, Josef-Maria Schwab –who died as a forced labourer in
Organisation Todt
Organisation Todt (OT; ) was a civil and military engineering organisation in Nazi Germany from 1933 to 1945, named for its founder, Fritz Todt, an engineer and senior Nazi. The organisation was responsible for a huge range of engineering projec ...
, by keeping a low profile in Greece and getting an exemption from the 1943 order for German citizens to return to Germany with the help of an official at the German Embassy in Athens.
After the
liberation of Greece (1944), Schwab was able to resume his research at the Kanellopoulos Institute, until he was offered the Professorship of Physical Chemistry at the
Technical University of Athens
The National (Metsovian) Technical University of Athens (NTUA; el, Εθνικό Μετσόβιο Πολυτεχνείο, ''National Metsovian Polytechnic''), sometimes known as Athens Polytechnic, is among the oldest higher education institution ...
in 1949.
He kept the position and taught the subject for the next 10 years.
Later years
Starting from the 1950s, Schwab was allowed to return to
West Germany
West Germany is the colloquial term used to indicate the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG; german: Bundesrepublik Deutschland , BRD) between its formation on 23 May 1949 and the German reunification through the accession of East Germany on 3 O ...
, with his first post being guest professor at the
Technical University of Darmstadt
Technical may refer to:
* Technical (vehicle), an improvised fighting vehicle
* Technical analysis, a discipline for forecasting the future direction of prices through the study of past market data
* Technical drawing, showing how something is co ...
(1950–1951) before he was appointed to the illustrious Professorship of Physical Chemistry at the University of Munich in 1951.
While holding the corresponding seat in Athens, Schwab continued visiting Greece to offer lectures on his course.
Meanwhile, he engaged in notable novel research regarding surface catalytic interactions.
In the 1955–1956 academic year he was
Dean
Dean may refer to:
People
* Dean (given name)
* Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin
* Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk
* Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean
Titles
* ...
of the Faculty of Natural Sciences of the University of Munich.
He retired in 1967 with the title of
Emeritus Professor
''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...
of Physical Chemistry,
which he held until his death in 1984.
Scientific work
Schwab's academic career was prolific in the many fields he became involved with; most famous were his contributions to the understanding and
kinetics
Kinetics ( grc, κίνησις, , kinesis, ''movement'' or ''to move'') may refer to:
Science and medicine
* Kinetics (physics), the study of motion and its causes
** Rigid body kinetics, the study of the motion of rigid bodies
* Chemical ki ...
of phenomena relating to
heterogeneous catalysis
In chemistry, heterogeneous catalysis is catalysis where the phase of catalysts differs from that of the reactants or products. The process contrasts with homogeneous catalysis where the reactants, products and catalyst exist in the same phase. Ph ...
.
In his career he published a total of more than 250 papers in eminent chemical
journals.
Ozone
![Ozone-CRC-MW-3D-balls](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8c/Ozone-CRC-MW-3D-balls.png)
His first important research work, undertaken as part of his doctoral studies under E. H. Riesenfeld in the early 1920s, concerned
ozone
Ozone (), or trioxygen, is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula . It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope , breaking down in the lo ...
, . Schwab was the first to describe the preparation of pure ozone and its solidification, thereby accurately determining many of its physical constants.
At the time, it was still not certain whether the tetratomic species
oxozone, , was also present in ozone samples.
The work of young Schwab conclusively refuted the century-old theory of oxozone, which led to the exceptional grade of his dissertation.
Early kinetic work
Schwab's research interests seem to have switched to kinetics under the guidance of Max Bodenstein while at Nernst's Institute of Physical Chemistry in Berlin.
Some of the problems on which Schwab worked on his own in this period included the
thermal decomposition
Thermal decomposition, or thermolysis, is a chemical decomposition caused by heat. The decomposition temperature of a substance is the temperature at which the substance chemically decomposes. The reaction is usually endothermic as heat is req ...
of
methane
Methane ( , ) is a chemical compound with the chemical formula (one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms). It is a group-14 hydride, the simplest alkane, and the main constituent of natural gas. The relative abundance of methane on Eart ...
, chemical reactions taking place during a
cold cathode
A cold cathode is a cathode that is not electrically heated by a filament.A negatively charged electrode emits electrons or is the positively charged terminal. For more, see field emission. A cathode may be considered "cold" if it emits more el ...
discharge, and the speed of dissolution of gases.
In
Würzburg
Würzburg (; Main-Franconian: ) is a city in the region of Franconia in the north of the German state of Bavaria. Würzburg is the administrative seat of the ''Regierungsbezirk'' Lower Franconia. It spans the banks of the Main River.
Würzburg is ...
, he continued along a similar line of work studying gas dissolution, the thermal decomposition of
ammonia
Ammonia is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . A stable binary hydride, and the simplest pnictogen hydride, ammonia is a colourless gas with a distinct pungent smell. Biologically, it is a common nitrogenous was ...
, and the kinetics of
photochlorination
Photochlorination is a chlorination reaction that is initiated by light. Usually a C-H bond is converted to a C-Cl bond. Photochlorination is carried out on an industrial scale. The process is exothermic and proceeds as a chain reaction initiated ...
reactions.
Catalysis
![Heterogene Katalyse 2](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0d/Heterogene_Katalyse_2.svg)
It was in Munich (1928–1938) that Schwab started systematic work on heterogeneous catalysis which marked the rest of his career.
Among the catalysis-related topics he studied in Munich were the kinetics of heterogeneously catalysed reactions, the nature of the
heat of adsorption, the
poisoning of catalysts and the spatial distribution of active catalytic sites.
He also collaborated with his future wife Elly on her research about the influence of
free radicals
In chemistry, a radical, also known as a free radical, is an atom, molecule, or ion that has at least one unpaired valence electron.
With some exceptions, these unpaired electrons make radicals highly chemically reactive. Many radicals spont ...
on
parahydrogen
Molecular hydrogen occurs in two isomeric forms, one with its two proton nuclear spins aligned parallel (orthohydrogen), the other with its two proton spins aligned antiparallel (parahydrogen).P. Atkins and J. de Paula, Atkins' ''Physical Chemist ...
, a work which they completed in Greece.
In the Kanellopoulos Institute (1939–1950), with the academic freedom he was given Schwab produced research on various occasional topics such as inorganic
chromatography
In chemical analysis, chromatography is a laboratory technique for the separation of a mixture into its components. The mixture is dissolved in a fluid solvent (gas or liquid) called the ''mobile phase'', which carries it through a system (a ...
(which he is credited with inventing), turn-over transitions, carbon
adsorption
Adsorption is the adhesion of atoms, ions or molecules from a gas, liquid or dissolved solid to a surface. This process creates a film of the ''adsorbate'' on the surface of the ''adsorbent''. This process differs from absorption, in which a f ...
and properties of parahydrogen.
He also built on his previous work with a series of kinetic studies, which eventually led to his theory on the electronic mechanisms of metal catalysis.
In later years, after returning to Munich as Professor of Physical Chemistry, Schwab discovered the surface catalytic influence of a metal in contact with a semiconductor catalyst or an insulator in contact with a metal catalyst (occasionally referred to as Schwab effects of the 1st and of the 2nd type, respectively).
Textbooks
Schwab was also known as a writer of physical chemistry and catalysis textbooks, with important works such as the ''Physico-chemical Foundations of Chemical Technology'' (, 1928) or ''Catalysis from the Standoint of Chemical Kinetics'' (, 1931), the English translation of which was a standard textbook on catalysis for decades.
He was the editor of all 7 volumes of the international ''Handbook of Catalysis'' (1940–1960).
Honours
Schwab received honours throughout his lifetime in recognition of his scientific work.
In 1952 he became one of the only 45 ordinary members of the
Bavarian Academy of Sciences
The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (german: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften) is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowledg ...
, and in 1956 he was also inducted as a member of the
Heidelberg Academy of Sciences
The Heidelberg Academy of Sciences and Humanities (German: ''Heidelberger Akademie der Wissenschaften''), established in 1909 in Heidelberg, Germany, is an assembly of scholars and scientists in the German state of Baden-Wuerttemberg.
The Academ ...
and the
German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
The German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (german: Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina – Nationale Akademie der Wissenschaften), short Leopoldina, is the national academy of Germany, and is located in Halle (Saale). Founded ...
.
In 1960 he was awarded the
Liebig Medal
The Liebig Medal (German: ''Liebig-Denkmünze'') was established by the (''Verein Deutscher Chemiker'') in 1903 to celebrate the centenary of Justus von Liebig. Since 1946 it has been awarded by the Society of German Chemists (''Gesellschaft Deut ...
of the
German Chemical Society
The German Chemical Society (German: ', GDCh) is a learned society and professional association founded in 1949 to represent the interests of German chemists in local, national and international contexts. GDCh "brings together people working in che ...
; he had also been awarded the
Order of the Crown of Belgium (Officer class) as well as the Golden Cross of the Greek
Order of George I
The Royal Order of George I ( el, Βασιλικόν Τάγμα Γεωργίου Α') is a Greek order instituted by King Constantine I in 1915. Since the monarchy's abolition in 1973, it has been considered a dynastic order of the former Greek r ...
.
Additionally, he was conferred
honorary doctorates
An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hono ...
from the
Sorbonne
Sorbonne may refer to:
* Sorbonne (building), historic building in Paris, which housed the University of Paris and is now shared among multiple universities.
*the University of Paris (c. 1150 – 1970)
*one of its components or linked institution, ...
, the
Free University of Berlin
The Free University of Berlin (, often abbreviated as FU Berlin or simply FU) is a public research university in Berlin, Germany. It is consistently ranked among Germany's best universities, with particular strengths in political science and t ...
and the
University of Liège
The University of Liège (french: Université de Liège), or ULiège, is a major public university of the French Community of Belgium based in Liège, Wallonia, Belgium. Its official language is French. As of 2020, ULiège is ranked in the 301 ...
, as well as an honorary professorship at the
Central University of Venezuela
The Central University of Venezuela (Spanish: ''Universidad Central de Venezuela''; UCV) is a public university of Venezuela located in Caracas. It is widely held to be the highest ranking institution in the country, and it also ranks 18th in L ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Schwab, Georg-Maria
German physical chemists
Greek chemists
Physical chemists
1899 births
1984 deaths
Academic staff of the National Technical University of Athens
Academic staff of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich
Members of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences
Members of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina