Jan Hendrik de Boer (19 March 1899 – 25 April 1971) was a Dutch
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe.
Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...
and
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 composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...
.
De Boer was born in
Ruinen
Ruinen is a village in the Dutch province of Drenthe. It is located in the municipality of De Wolden, about 10 km northwest of Hoogeveen. The Dwingelderveld National Park is located near Ruinen.
History
The village was first mentioned in ...
,
De Wolden
De Wolden () is a municipality in the northeastern Netherlands in the province of Drenthe.
Population centres
Topography
''Dutch topographic map of the municipality of De Wolden, June 2015''
Notable people
* Jan Evertsen Cloppenburgh (15 ...
, and died in
The Hague. He studied at the
University of Groningen and was later employed in industry.
Together with
Anton Eduard van Arkel
Anton Eduard van Arkel, (19 November 1893 – 14 March 1976) was a Dutch chemist.
Van Arkel suggested the names "pnictogen" and "pnictide" to refer to chemical elements in group 15 (the nitrogen group or nitrogen family) of the periodic table.
...
, de Boer developed a
chemical transport reaction
In chemistry, a chemical transport reaction describes a process for purification and crystallization of non- volatile solids. The process is also responsible for certain aspects of mineral growth from the effluent of volcanoes. The technique is ...
for
titanium,
zirconium
Zirconium is a chemical element with the symbol Zr and atomic number 40. The name ''zirconium'' is taken from the name of the mineral zircon, the most important source of zirconium. The word is related to Persian '' zargun'' (zircon; ''zar-gun'', ...
, and
hafnium
Hafnium is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Hf and atomic number 72. A lustre (mineralogy), lustrous, silvery gray, tetravalence, tetravalent transition metal, hafnium chemically resembles zirconium and is found in many zirco ...
known as the
crystal bar process
A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...
. In a closed vessel the metal reacts with
iodine at elevated temperature forming the iodide. At a tungsten filament of 1700 °C the reverse reaction occurs, and the iodine and the metal are set free. The metal forms a solid coating at the tungsten filament and the iodine can react with additional metal, resulting in a steady turnover.
::M + 2I
2 (>400 °C) → MI
4
::MI
4 (1700 °C) → M + 2I
2
De Boer became a member of the
Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1940, and foreign member in 1947.
See also
*
Metal–insulator transition
Metal–insulator transitions are transitions of a material from a metal (material with good electrical conductivity of electric charges) to an insulator (material where conductivity of charges is quickly suppressed). These transitions can be ach ...
*
Van Arkel–de Boer process
The van Arkel–de Boer process, also known as the iodide process or crystal-bar process, was the first industrial process for the commercial production of pure ductile titanium, zirconium and some other metals. It was developed by Anton Eduard v ...
References
1899 births
1971 deaths
People from De Wolden
20th-century Dutch chemists
Delft University of Technology faculty
Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences
{{Netherlands-scientist-stub