Theodor Grotthuss

Freiherr Christian Johann Dietrich Theodor von Grotthuß
Theodor von Grotthuß
Born(1785-01-20)20 January 1785
Leipzig, Electorate of Saxony, Holy Roman Empire
Died26 March 1822(1822-03-26) (aged 37)
Geddutz, Russian Empire (now Lithuania)
NationalityGrand Duchy of Lithuania (at birth)
Alma materÉcole Polytechnique
Known forExplanation of electrolysis by the Grotthuss mechanism
Scientific career
FieldsElectrochemistry, photochemistry

Freiherr Christian Johann Dietrich Theodor von Grotthuss (20 January 1785 – 26 March 1822) was a Baltic German scientist known for establishing the first theory of electrolysis in 1806 and formulating the first law of photochemistry in 1817.[1] His theory of electrolysis is considered the first description of the so-called Grotthuss mechanism.[2]

  1. ^ de Grotthuss, C.J.T. (1806). "Sur la décomposition de l'eau et des corps qu'elle tient en dissolution à l'aide de l'électricité galvanique". Ann. Chim. (Paris). 58: 54–73.
  2. ^ Marx, Dominik (2006). "Proton Transfer 200 Years after von Grotthuss: Insights from Ab Initio Simulations". ChemPhysChem. 7 (9): 1848–1870. doi:10.1002/cphc.200600128. PMID 16929553.