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Paul Sabatier (chemist)
Encyclopedia
Paul Sabatier FRS was a French
chemist
, born at Carcassonne
. He taught science classes most of his life before he became Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Toulouse
in 1905.
Sabatier's earliest research concerned the thermochemistry
of sulfur
and metallic sulfate
s, the subject for the thesis leading to his doctorate. In Toulouse
, he continued his physical
and chemical investigations to sulfide
s, chloride
s, chromate
s and copper
compounds. He also studied the oxide
s of nitrogen
and nitrosodisulfonic acid and its salt
s and carried out fundamental research on partition coefficient
s and absorption spectra.
Sabatier greatly facilitated the industrial use of hydrogenation
. In 1897, building on the recent biochemical work of the American chemist, James Boyce
, he discovered that the introduction of a trace amount of nickel (as a catalyst) facilitated the addition of hydrogen to molecules of most carbon compounds.
Sabatier is best known for the Sabatier process and his works such as La Catalyse en Chimie Organique (Catalysis in organic chemistry) which was published in 1913. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
jointly with fellow Frenchman Victor Grignard
in 1912. He is also known for the Sabatier principle
of catalysis.
Sabatier was married with four daughters, one of whom wed the famous Italian chemist Emilio Pomilio.
The Paul Sabatier University
in Toulouse is named in honor of Paul Sabatier.
Paul Sabatier was a co-founder of the Annales de la Faculté des Sciences de Toulouse
, together with the mathematician Thomas Joannes Stieltjes
.
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
chemist
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...
, born at Carcassonne
Carcassonne
Carcassonne is a fortified French town in the Aude department, of which it is the prefecture, in the former province of Languedoc.It is divided into the fortified Cité de Carcassonne and the more expansive lower city, the ville basse. Carcassone was founded by the Visigoths in the fifth century,...
. He taught science classes most of his life before he became Dean of the Faculty of Science at the University of Toulouse
University of Toulouse
The Université de Toulouse is a consortium of French universities, grandes écoles and other institutions of higher education and research, named after one of the earliest universities established in Europe in 1229, and including the successor universities to that earlier university...
in 1905.
Sabatier's earliest research concerned the thermochemistry
Thermochemistry
Thermochemistry is the study of the energy and heat associated with chemical reactions and/or physical transformations. A reaction may release or absorb energy, and a phase change may do the same, such as in melting and boiling. Thermochemistry focuses on these energy changes, particularly on the...
of sulfur
Sulfur
Sulfur or sulphur is the chemical element with atomic number 16. In the periodic table it is represented by the symbol S. It is an abundant, multivalent non-metal. Under normal conditions, sulfur atoms form cyclic octatomic molecules with chemical formula S8. Elemental sulfur is a bright yellow...
and metallic sulfate
Sulfate
In inorganic chemistry, a sulfate is a salt of sulfuric acid.-Chemical properties:...
s, the subject for the thesis leading to his doctorate. In Toulouse
Toulouse
Toulouse is a city in the Haute-Garonne department in southwestern FranceIt lies on the banks of the River Garonne, 590 km away from Paris and half-way between the Atlantic Ocean and the Mediterranean Sea...
, he continued his physical
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
and chemical investigations to sulfide
Sulfide
A sulfide is an anion of sulfur in its lowest oxidation state of 2-. Sulfide is also a slightly archaic term for thioethers, a common type of organosulfur compound that are well known for their bad odors.- Properties :...
s, chloride
Chloride
The chloride ion is formed when the element chlorine, a halogen, picks up one electron to form an anion Cl−. The salts of hydrochloric acid HCl contain chloride ions and can also be called chlorides. The chloride ion, and its salts such as sodium chloride, are very soluble in water...
s, chromate
Chromate
Chromate salts contain the chromate anion, CrO42−. Dichromate salts contain the dichromate anion, Cr2O72−. They are oxyanions of chromium in the oxidation state +6. They are moderately strong oxidizing agents.- Chemical properties :...
s and copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
compounds. He also studied the oxide
Oxide
An oxide is a chemical compound that contains at least one oxygen atom in its chemical formula. Metal oxides typically contain an anion of oxygen in the oxidation state of −2....
s of nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
and nitrosodisulfonic acid and its salt
Salt
In chemistry, salts are ionic compounds that result from the neutralization reaction of an acid and a base. They are composed of cations and anions so that the product is electrically neutral...
s and carried out fundamental research on partition coefficient
Partition coefficient
In chemistry and the pharmaceutical sciences, a partition- or distribution coefficient is the ratio of concentrations of a compound in the two phases of a mixture of two immiscible solvents at equilibrium. The terms "gas/liquid partition coefficient" and "air/water partition coefficient" are...
s and absorption spectra.
Sabatier greatly facilitated the industrial use of hydrogenation
Hydrogenation
Hydrogenation, to treat with hydrogen, also a form of chemical reduction, is a chemical reaction between molecular hydrogen and another compound or element, usually in the presence of a catalyst. The process is commonly employed to reduce or saturate organic compounds. Hydrogenation typically...
. In 1897, building on the recent biochemical work of the American chemist, James Boyce
James F. Boyce, Sr.
James F. Boyce was an American chemist of the late 19th and early 20th centuries involved in the manufacturing of soaps and detergents. He also pioneered techniques now used in the isolation and removal of consumable hydrogenated vegetable oils from plants, especially cottonseed...
, he discovered that the introduction of a trace amount of nickel (as a catalyst) facilitated the addition of hydrogen to molecules of most carbon compounds.
Sabatier is best known for the Sabatier process and his works such as La Catalyse en Chimie Organique (Catalysis in organic chemistry) which was published in 1913. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
The Nobel Prize in Chemistry is awarded annually by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences to scientists in the various fields of chemistry. It is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Alfred Nobel in 1895, awarded for outstanding contributions in chemistry, physics, literature,...
jointly with fellow Frenchman Victor Grignard
Victor Grignard
François Auguste Victor Grignard was a Nobel Prize-winning French chemist.Grignard was the son of a sail maker. After studying mathematics at Lyon he transferred to chemistry and discovered the synthetic reaction bearing his name in 1900...
in 1912. He is also known for the Sabatier principle
Sabatier principle
The Sabatier principle is a qualitative concept in chemical catalysis named after the French chemist Paul Sabatier. It states that the interactions between the catalyst and the substrate should be "just right"; that is, neither too strong nor too weak. If the interaction is too weak, the substrate...
of catalysis.
Sabatier was married with four daughters, one of whom wed the famous Italian chemist Emilio Pomilio.
The Paul Sabatier University
Paul Sabatier University
Paul Sabatier University is a French university, in the Academy of Toulouse.Founded in 1229, the University of Toulouse is one of the oldest in Europe. Today’s Toulouse III was named for Paul Sabatier, winner of the 1912 Nobel prize in chemistry, when it was established on the foundations of the...
in Toulouse is named in honor of Paul Sabatier.
Paul Sabatier was a co-founder of the Annales de la Faculté des Sciences de Toulouse
Annales de la Faculté des Sciences de Toulouse
The Annales de la Faculté des Sciences de Toulouse is aninternational peer reviewed scientific journal, in the domain of mathematics research. Its ISSN is 0240-2963....
, together with the mathematician Thomas Joannes Stieltjes
Thomas Joannes Stieltjes
Thomas Joannes Stieltjes was a Dutch mathematician. He was born in Zwolle and died in Toulouse, France. He was a pioneer in the field of moment problems and contributed to the study of continued fractions....
.
External links
- Nobel Lecture The Method of Direct Hydrogenation by Catalysis from Nobelprize.org website
- Biography Biography from Nobelprize.org website