Walther Hermann Nernst, (born June 25, 1864, Briesen, Prussia—died Nov. 18, 1941, Muskau, Ger.), German scientist, one of the founders of modern physical chemistry. He taught at the Universities of Göttingen and Berlin until forced to retire in 1933 by the Nazi regime. Nernst’s researches on the theory of electric cells (see battery), the thermodynamics of chemical equilibrium, the properties of vapours at high temperatures and of solids at low temperatures, and the mechanism of photochemistry have had important applications. His formulation of the third law of thermodynamics gained him a 1920 Nobel Prize. He also invented an improved electric light and an electronically amplified piano.
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Nobel Prize Summary
Nobel Prize, any of the prizes (five in number until 1969, when a sixth was added) that are awarded annually from a fund bequeathed for that purpose by the Swedish inventor and industrialist Alfred Nobel. The Nobel Prizes are widely regarded as the most prestigious awards given for intellectual
chemistry Summary
Chemistry, the science that deals with the properties, composition, and structure of substances (defined as elements and compounds), the transformations they undergo, and the energy that is released or absorbed during these processes. Every substance, whether naturally occurring or artificially