Gerold Schwarzenbach
Encyclopedia
Gerold Karl Schwarzenbach (March 15, 1904 - May 20, 1978) was a Swiss chemist
.
Schwarzenbach was born and grew up in Horgen
, Switzerland
. He studied chemistry at the ETH Zurich
and graduated in 1928 with his dissertation Studien über die Salzbildung von Beizenfarbstoffen (Studies on the formation of pickling salt dyes). From 1930 to 1955 he was a lecturer and later professor of special inorganic and analytical chemistry at the ETH Zurich
. He retired in 1973.
One of his main research topics was coordination chemistry
. Gerold was substantially involved in the study of EDTA
and the involvement of ligand
s. In 1963 he was awarded the Marcel Benoist Prize
. In 1967 he was awarded the Torbern Bergman Medal.
In 1971 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Berne
.
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
.
Schwarzenbach was born and grew up in Horgen
Horgen
Horgen is a village in the district of Horgen in the canton of Zürich in Switzerland.It is one of the larger towns along the south bank of the Lake of Zurich.- History :Horgen is also the type-site of Switzerland's middle Neolithic archaeological culture...
, Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
. He studied chemistry at the ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
and graduated in 1928 with his dissertation Studien über die Salzbildung von Beizenfarbstoffen (Studies on the formation of pickling salt dyes). From 1930 to 1955 he was a lecturer and later professor of special inorganic and analytical chemistry at the ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
. He retired in 1973.
One of his main research topics was coordination chemistry
Complex (chemistry)
In chemistry, a coordination complex or metal complex, is an atom or ion , bonded to a surrounding array of molecules or anions, that are in turn known as ligands or complexing agents...
. Gerold was substantially involved in the study of EDTA
EDTA
Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid, widely abbreviated as EDTA , is a polyamino carboxylic acid and a colourless, water-soluble solid. Its conjugate base is named ethylenediaminetetraacetate. It is widely used to dissolve limescale. Its usefulness arises because of its role as a hexadentate ligand...
and the involvement of ligand
Ligand
In coordination chemistry, a ligand is an ion or molecule that binds to a central metal atom to form a coordination complex. The bonding between metal and ligand generally involves formal donation of one or more of the ligand's electron pairs. The nature of metal-ligand bonding can range from...
s. In 1963 he was awarded the Marcel Benoist Prize
Marcel Benoist Prize
The Marcel Benoist Prize, offered by the Marcel Benoist Foundation, is a monetary prize that has been offered annually since 1920 to a scientist of Swiss nationality or residency who has made the most useful scientific discovery. Emphasis is placed on those discoveries affecting human life...
. In 1967 he was awarded the Torbern Bergman Medal.
In 1971 he was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Berne
University of Berne
The University of Bern is a university in the Swiss capital of Bern and was founded in 1834. It is regulated and financed by the Canton of Bern. It is a comprehensive university offering a broad choice of courses and programmes in eight faculties and some 160 institutes. The university is an...
.