Walther Hermann Nernst (June 25, 1864 – November 18, 1941) was a German
chemist who helped establish the modern field of physical chemistry. Nernst
contributed to electrochemistry, thermodynamics, solid state chemistry and
photochemistry. He is also known for developing the Nernst equation.
Biography
Nernst was born on Briesen in West Prussia/Pomerania (now W¹brzeŸno in Poland).
He studied physics and mathematics at the universities of Zürich, Berlin and
Graz. After some work at Leipzig, he founded the Institute of Physical Chemistry
and Electrochemistry at Göttingen. Nernst invented, in 1897, the Nernst lamp, an
electric lamp using an incandescent ceramic rod (the successor to the carbon
lamp and the precursor to the incandescent lamp). Nernst researched osmotic
pressure and electrochemistry. 1905 he established what he referred to as his "New
Heat Theorem", later known as the Third law of thermodynamics (which describes
the behavior of matter as temperatures approach absolute zero).
In 1920, he received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in recognition of his work in
thermochemistry. In 1924, he became director of the Institute of Physical
Chemistry at Berlin, a position from which he retired in 1933. Nernst went on to
work in electroacoustics and astrophysics.
Nernst developed an electric piano, the "Neo-Bechstein-Flügel" in 1930 in
association with the Bechstein and Siemens companies, replacing the sounding
board with radio amplifiers. The piano used electromagnetic pickups to produce
electronically modified and amplified sound in the same way as an electric
guitar.
His Nernst glower, important in the field of infra-red spectroscopy, is a
solid-body radiator with a filament of rare-earth oxides. Continuous ohmic
heating of the filament results in conduction. The glower operates best in
wavelengths from 2 to 14 micrometers.
Nernst died in 1941 and is buried in Göttingen, Germany.
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