Acid Base Theories: Svante Arrhenius.

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Acid Base Theories: Svante Arrhenius

I. Introduction 

Svante Arrhenius was one of the towering giants of chemistry in the years surrounding the turn of the century. His most important contribution to chemistry was also his first - the idea of electrolytic dissociation. This idea first published in 1883 and in refined form in 1887, was the mainstay of his doctoral dissertation. It was the source of much hurt in his life.

The basic idea is that certain substances remain ionised in solution all the time. Today, everyone accepts this without question, but it was the subject of much dissention and disagreement in 1884, when a twenty-five year old Arrhenius presented and defended his dissertation.

He was bitterly disappointed when the dissertation was awarded a fourth class (non since laude approbatur - approved not without praise) and his defence a third class (cum laude approbatur - approved with praise). Essentially, he got a grade of D for the dissertation and a C for his defence.

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He could not obtain a job within his native Sweden, but he did get a travel grant and worked outside the country for several years. He did return in 1891, but even in 1895, his elevation to Professor of Physics was bitterly opposed as was his overdue election to the Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1901.

However, he received the 1903 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his electrolytic dissociation theory and that effectively ended public criticism.

II. The Acid Base Theory 

Arrhenius published two articles on acids and bases, one in 1894 and the other in 1899.

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