Walther Nernst and the Transition to Modern Physical Science
Editorial Reviews
Review
'This insightful book guides the reader through the most successful but also contradictory development of the beginning of the 20th century.' Hermann Berg, Journal of Electroanalytical Chemistry
'A beautifully written and thoroughly researched book.' Bretislav Friedrich, Angewandte Chemie
'... an impressive reconstruction of Nernst's intellectual journey ... Barkan's book makes notable contributions in the history of physical chemistry ... Barkan's study ... deserves much attention from historians of physics, especially those who are interested in the early years of quantum theory ... a rich narrative that allows a glimpse of numerous scientists and various places in Nernst's time.' Annals of Science
Book Description
One of Germany's most important, productive and often controversial scientists, Walther H. Nernst (1864-1941) was at once the first "modern" physical chemist, an able scientific organizer and a savvy entrepreneur. The winner of the 1920 Nobel Prize for Chemistry, Nernst was a key figure in the transition to modern physical science with his contributions to the study of solutions, of chemical equilibria, and of the behavior of matter at the extremes of the temperature range. This volume provides a scientific biography of the man who was a director of major research institutes, the rector of the Berlin University, and the inventor of a new electric lamp. It also addresses the work of many prominent scientists, such as Albert Einstein, Max Planck, Wilhelm Ostwald and Svante Arrhenius. A wealth of new archival material and recent scholarship reveals how Nernst's career exemplified the increasing connection between the German technical industry and academic science, between theory and experiment, between concepts and practice, providing a rich portrait of the history of science in the period preceding the Second World War. This book also details a set of specific scientific problems that evolved at the intersection of physics, chemistry and technology during one of the most revolutionary periods of modern physical science.
Walther Nernst and the Transition to Modern Physical Science,Diana Kormos Barkan,Cambridge University Press,052144456X,1864-1941,Biography,Chemistry - Physical & Theoretical,Chemistry, Physical and theore,Chemistry, Physical and theoretical,Chemists,Germany,History,History Of Physics,Nernst, Walther,,Physical Chemistry,Physics,Science,Science/Mathematics,Scientists - General,History of science,Nernst, Walther,Nernst, Walther,--1864-1941,Science / History
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