Theodoor Overbeek

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Jan Theodoor Gerard Overbeek (born January 5, 1911 in Groningen , † February 19, 2007 ) was a Dutch physical chemist who is best known for helping to develop the DLVO theory .

Career

Theodoor Overbeek, born in Groningen in 1911 and raised in Rotterdam and Breda, studied chemistry at Utrecht University from 1928 to 1933 . He then did his military service and spent two years in Belgium, first with Jacques Errera at the Free University of Brussels, then with Arend Joan Rutgers (1903-1998) at the University of Ghent. He received his doctorate in chemistry from Utrecht University in 1941 . His dissertation was titled Theory of electrophoresis: het relaxatie-effect ( theory of electrophoresis, the relaxation effect ) and dealt with the deformation of the electric double layer around a colloid particle that moves in an external electric field. Then he went to Philips in industry and did research on luminescent screens and the interaction of electrically charged colloid particles. His boss at Philips was Evert Verwey . With him, Overbeek published the book Theory of the Stability of Lyophobic Colloids (Elsevier, 1948). It contains his theory on the stability of colloids, which he developed with Verwey. Since the theory was developed independently by Derjaguin and Landau , it is now known as the DLVO theory.

In 1946 he was appointed professor for physical chemistry in Utrecht, which he remained until his retirement in 1981, but he was also scientifically active afterwards. Most recently, he dealt in particular with micro-emulsions.

He was mainly active in the field of research on colloidal systems . During his time he wrote a number of books and published over 200 original publications. He is known through the book "Theory of the stability of Lyophobic Colloids" and his contributions to the work "Colloid Science".

Overbeek received two honorary doctorates (Clarkson University, University of Bristol) and in 1989 the Wolfgang Ostwald Prize of the Colloid Society . In 1953 he became a member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences. In 1969 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

The Overbeek gold medal is named in his honor , the first recipient of which was Overbeek himself in 2005.

literature

  • A. Vrij: J.Th.G. Overbeek on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of his professorship . In: Springer (Ed.): Colloid & Polymer Science . tape 275 , no. 5 . Berlin / Heidelberg May 1997, p. 506 , doi : 10.1007 / s003960050111 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Biographical data by Jan Theodoor Gerard Overbeek in: Dispersionen und Emulsionen , by Gerhard Lagaly, Oliver Schulz, Ralf Zimehl, 1999, page 532
  2. ^ American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Book of Members ( PDF ). Retrieved April 21, 2016
personal data
SURNAME Overbeek, Theodoor
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Overbeek, Jan Theodoor Gerard (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Dutch physical chemist, co-developer of the DVLO theory
DATE OF BIRTH January 5, 1911
PLACE OF BIRTH Groningen , the Netherlands
DATE OF DEATH February 19, 2007