Rudolf Zahradník (20 October 192831 October 2020) was a Czech

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

in the field of

quantum chemistry Quantum chemistry, also called molecular quantum mechanics, is a branch of physical chemistry focused on the application of quantum mechanics to chemical systems, particularly towards the quantum-mechanical calculation of electronic contributions ...

and

molecular spectroscopy Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets electromagnetic spectra. In narrower contexts, spectroscopy is the precise study of color as generalized from visible light to all bands of the electromagnetic spectrum. Spectrosc ...

. He held research positions at the

Institute of Occupational Medicine The Institute of Occupational Medicine (IOM) was founded in 1969 by the National Coal Board (NCB) as an independent charity in Edinburgh, UK and retains its charitable purpose and status today. The "Institute" has a subsidiary, IOM Consulting Limi ...

and went on to serve as the first director of the J Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry, president of the

Czech Academy of Sciences The Czech Academy of Sciences (abbr. CAS, , abbr. AV ČR) was established in 1992 by the Czech National Council as the Czech successor of the former Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences and its tradition goes back to the Royal Bohemian Society of Sc ...

and chairman of the

Learned Society of the Czech Republic The Learned Society of the Czech Republic ("Učená společnost České republiky") is an association of distinguished scholars of the Czech Republic from all scientific disciplines. Its goal is to support free conduct of research and furtherance of ...

, after the

Velvet Revolution The Velvet Revolution () or Gentle Revolution () was a non-violent transition of power in what was then Czechoslovakia, occurring from 17 November to 28 November 1989. Popular demonstrations against the one-party government of the Communist Pa ...

. During the 1980s, he taught future German leader

Angela Merkel Angela Dorothea Merkel (; ; born 17 July 1954) is a German retired politician who served as Chancellor of Germany from 2005 to 2021. She is the only woman to have held the office. She was Leader of the Opposition from 2002 to 2005 and Leade ...

, who was then on an internship in

Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia ( ; Czech language, Czech and , ''Česko-Slovensko'') was a landlocked country in Central Europe, created in 1918, when it declared its independence from Austria-Hungary. In 1938, after the Munich Agreement, the Sudetenland beca ...

. He held a doctorate from the

University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague The University of Chemistry and Technology, Prague (UCT Prague; , VŠCHT Praha) is the largest university specializing in chemistry in the Czech Republic. Though founded in 1952, UCT Prague has origins dating back to the early nineteenth centur ...

Early life and career

Zahradník was born in

Bratislava Bratislava (German: ''Pressburg'', Hungarian: ''Pozsony'') is the Capital city, capital and largest city of the Slovakia, Slovak Republic and the fourth largest of all List of cities and towns on the river Danube, cities on the river Danube. ...

(then in

, now in

Slovakia Slovakia, officially the Slovak Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. It is bordered by Poland to the north, Ukraine to the east, Hungary to the south, Austria to the west, and the Czech Republic to the northwest. Slovakia's m ...

) on 20 October 1928. He was a member of the

Junák Junák – český skaut (''Junák – Czech Scouting''), is the internationally recognized organization of Scouts and Guides of the Czech Republic. Founded in 1911, Junák – český skaut is the largest organisation of children and youth in ...

scout movement and decided to study chemistry when he read an article on

invisible ink Invisible ink, also known as security ink or sympathetic ink, is a substance used for writing, which is invisible either on application or soon thereafter, and can later be made visible by some means, such as heat or ultraviolet light. Invisibl ...

at grammar school. He graduated from the

in 1952, one of his teachers there was Jaroslav Koutecký. Four years later he obtained a Ph.D. in

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

from the same university. Having previously been considered a bad influence on his students, Zahradník was able to obtain a research position after the

Khrushchev Thaw The Khrushchev Thaw (, or simply ''ottepel'')William Taubman, Khrushchev: The Man and His Era, London: Free Press, 2004 is the period from the mid-1950s to the mid-1960s when Political repression in the Soviet Union, repression and Censorship in ...

relaxed Soviet restrictions on Czechoslovakia. He studied the relations between chemical structure and biological activity at the

and theory of chemical reactivity and molecular spectroscopy at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences before being awarded a

Doctor of Science A Doctor of Science (; most commonly abbreviated DSc or ScD) is a science doctorate awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. Africa Algeria and Morocco In Algeria, Morocco, Libya and Tunisia, all universities accredited by the s ...

degree by them in 1967. In 1959, Zahradník joined the faculty of Natural Sciences at

Charles University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, oldest universities in the world in conti ...

and in 1961 served as a head of the Applied Quantum Chemistry Group at the Institute of Physical Chemistry, Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences. In the 1980s he taught

while she was on an internship in

several times. They stayed in contact and she also visited him on his ninetieth birthday.

Career after the Velvet Revolution

Between 1990 and 1993 Zahradník served as the first director of the J Heyrovsky Institute of Physical Chemistry before joining

Clarkson University Clarkson University is a private research university with its main campus in Potsdam, New York. Clarkson has additional graduate programs and research facilities in the New York Capital District. It was established in 1896 and enrolled over 4 ...

. During this period he has been described as "pushing forward the frontiers of

" and helped to bring young chemists into the field. From 1993 to 2001 he was president of the

and in 1994 became founding chairman of the

, holding the post until 1997. He was awarded the Czech Republic's Medal of Merit in 1998 and the

Austrian Decoration for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Austria, Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science a ...

in 1999. Zahradník was a recipient of a doctorate ''honoris causa'' from the

TU Dresden TU Dresden (for , abbreviated as TUD), also as the Dresden University of Technology, is a public research university in Dresden, Germany. It is the largest institute of higher education in the city of Dresden, the largest university in Saxony a ...

and

University of Fribourg The University of Fribourg (; ) is a public university located in Fribourg, Switzerland. The roots of the university can be traced back to 1580, when the notable Jesuit Peter Canisius founded the Collège Saint-Michel in the City of Fribourg ...

(both in 1993), and from the University of Pardubice and

Georgetown University Georgetown University is a private university, private Jesuit research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Founded by Bishop John Carroll (archbishop of Baltimore), John Carroll in 1789, it is the oldest Catholic higher education, Ca ...

in 1994 and 1996 respectively. He was also honored with doctorate ''honoris causa'' degrees from

Charles Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...

and Clarkson universities in 1998. He published more than 350 papers and 10 books especially on

problems. He died on 31 October 2020.

Awards and honors

*Fellow of the

*Member of the

International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science The International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science (IAQMS) is an international scientific learned society covering all applications of quantum theory to chemistry and chemical physics. It was created in Menton in 1967. The founding members we ...

*Fellow of the World Association of Theoretical Organic Chemists (1982) *Member of the Academy of Quantum Molecular Sciences (1982) *Medal of Slovak Institute of Technology (1989) *J. Heyrovsky Gold Medal of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (1990) *Member of the European Academy of Arts, Sciences and Literature (1992) *Gold Medal of the

Slovak Academy of Sciences The Slovak Academy of Sciences (, or SAV) is the main scientific and research institution in Slovakia fostering basic and strategic basic research. It was founded in 1942, closed after World War II, and then reestablished in 1953. Its primary ...

(1994) *Member of the European Academy of Environmental Affairs (1994) *Corresponding member of the

Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts The Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts (; , HAZU) is the national academy of Croatia. HAZU was founded under the patronage of the Croatian bishop Josip Juraj Strossmayer under the name Yugoslav Academy of Sciences and Arts (, JAZU) since its ...

(1994) *Founding member of the Engineering Academy of the Czech Republic (1995) *Gold Medal of Charles University, Prague (1995) *Marin Drinov Medal,

Bulgarian Academy of Sciences The Bulgarian Academy of Sciences (abbreviated BAS; , ''Bŭlgarska akademiya na naukite'', abbreviated БАН) is the National Academy of Bulgaria, established in 1869. The Academy, with headquarters in Sofia, is autonomous and consists of a S ...

(1996) *Member of the

European Academy of Sciences and Arts The European Academy of Sciences and Arts (EASA, ) is a transnational and interdisciplinary network, connecting about 2,000 recommended scientists and artists worldwide, including 38 Nobel Prize laureates. The European Academy of Sciences and ...

(1997) *Honorary member of the

Swiss Chemical Society Swiss most commonly refers to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland *Swiss people Swiss may also refer to: Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina * Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses * Swiss Café, an old café located ...

(1998) *Medal, J.M. Marci Spectroscopical Society (1998) *Elected member of the

Academia Europaea The Academia Europaea is a pan-European Academy of humanities, letters, law, and sciences. The Academia was founded in 1988 as a functioning Europe-wide Academy that encompasses all fields of scholarly inquiry. It acts as co-ordinator of Europe ...

(1999) *Austrian 1st Class Honorary Cross for Science and Arts (1999) *Josef Hlávka Medal (2009)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zahradnik, Rudolf 1928 births 2020 deaths Czech chemists Academic staff of Charles University Members of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science Members of Academia Europaea Members of the Croatian Academy of Sciences and Arts Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts Recipients of Medal of Merit (Czech Republic) Presidents of the Czech Academy of Sciences Scientists from Bratislava