Arrhenius, Svante August

Arrhenius, Svante August (1859-1927), Swedish chemist, who helped lay the foundations of modern chemistry. Born near Uppsala, he was educated at the University of Uppsala and received his Ph.D. in 1884. he studied the conductive properties of electrolytic (charge-conducting) solutions. Arrhenius's theory of electrolytic dissociation became generally accepted, and eventually became one of the cornerstones of modern physical chemistry and electrochemistry. In 1889 Arrhenius also observed that the speed of chemical reactions increases markedly when the temperature is increased, at a rate proportional to the concentration of the activated molecules. Arrhenius became Professor of Chemistry at the University of Stockholm in 1895 and Director of the Nobel Institute of Physical Chemistry in 1905. His awards and honours include the 1903 Nobel Prize for Chemistry.