Marcel Pourbaix (16 September 1904 – 28 September 1998) was a Belgian chemist and

pianist A pianist ( , ) is a musician who plays the piano. A pianist's repertoire may include music from a diverse variety of styles, such as traditional classical music, jazz piano, jazz, blues piano, blues, and popular music, including rock music, ...

. He performed his most well known research at the University of Brussels, studying

corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...

. His biggest achievement is the derivation of potential-pH, better known as “ Pourbaix Diagrams”. Pourbaix Diagrams are

thermodynamic Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with heat, work, and temperature, and their relation to energy, entropy, and the physical properties of matter and radiation. The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of th ...

charts constructed using the

Nernst equation In electrochemistry, the Nernst equation is a chemical thermodynamical relationship that permits the calculation of the reduction potential of a reaction ( half-cell or full cell reaction) from the standard electrode potential, absolute tempera ...

and visualize the relationship between possible phases of a system, bounded by lines representing the reactions that transport between them. They can be read much like a phase diagram. In 1963, Pourbaix produced "Atlas of Electrochemical Equilibria", which contains potential-pH diagrams for all elements known at the time. Pourbaix and his collaborators began preparing the work in the early 1950s.

Early life

He was born in Myshega ( Aleksin District,

Tula Governorate Tula Governorate () was an administrative-territorial unit ('' guberniya'') of the Russian Empire and the Russian SFSR. The governate existed from 1796 to 1929; its seat was in the city of Tula. It was divided into 12 districts. The main towns w ...

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

), where his father was a consultant on an engineering project. He studied in Brussels and graduated from the Faculty of Applied Sciences of the

Université libre de Bruxelles The (French language, French, ; lit. Free University of Brussels; abbreviated ULB) is a French-speaking research university in Brussels, Belgium. It has three campuses: the ''Solbosch'' campus (in the City of Brussels and Ixelles), the ''Plain ...

in 1927. By 1938, he had devised the potential-pH diagrams. In 1939, just before the outbreak of World War II, he presented to the Faculty his doctoral dissertation, accompanied by a thesis entitled "Thermodynamics of Dilute Aqueous Solutions. Graphical Representation of the Role of pH and Potential." The war and some confusion among the jury on the sign of electrode potential impeded the completion of his graduation process. However, the thesis was presented to the

Delft University of Technology The Delft University of Technology (TU Delft; ) is the oldest and largest Dutch public university, public Institute of technology, technical university, located in Delft, Netherlands. It specializes in engineering, technology, computing, design, a ...

Career

Pourbaix spent much of his career studying

and developing strategies to combat it. Pourbaix' doctoral

thesis A thesis (: theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: D ...

had a major influence on corrosion science. Ulick Evans found this work important and arranged for an English translation, published by Arnold (London) in 1949. In the 1960s, he introduced the concept of a protection potential against the propagation of localized corrosion, particularly in crevices or cracks where acidic conditions fester (sometimes called ''occluded cells''). During the 1950s and early 1960s, Pourbaix and his collaborators produced potential-pH diagrams for all known elements at the time, which he published as the "Atlas of Electrochemical Equilibria" in French in 1963 and in English in 1966. In 1949, he was one of the founders of CITCE (Comite International de Thermodynamique et Cinetique Electrochimiques) together with 13 other electrochemists, including Pierre Van Rysselberghe, John Brockris, and

Jaroslav Heyrovský Jaroslav Heyrovský (; 20 December 1890 – 27 March 1967) was a Czech chemist and inventor who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1959 for his invention of polarography. Life and work Jaroslav Heyrovský was born in Prague on December 2 ...

. In 1971 it was renamed to its current name, the

International Society of Electrochemistry The International Society of Electrochemistry (ISE) is a global scientific society founded in 1949. The Head Office of ISE is located now in Lausanne, Switzerland. ISE is a Member Organization of IUPAC. The Society has now more than 1900 Individua ...

. In 1951 he founded the Belgian Corrosion Research Centre, which today remains an active research institute. In 1952 he founded the Commission of Electrochemistry of the

International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry The International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC ) is an international federation of National Adhering Organizations working for the advancement of the chemical sciences, especially by developing nomenclature and terminology. It is ...

, which clarified in 1953 the chaotic state of affairs then prevailing in the signs of electrode potentials. Pourbaix traveled and lectured widely during his career. He contributed actively to the creation of an International Corrosion Council with the aim of encouraging research and international cooperation in corrosion science and friendship among researchers. In 1990, The National Association of Corrosion Engineers created a "Marcel Pourbaix Award Student Fellowship" and the ICC created in 1996 a "Marcel Pourbaix Award for International Cooperation." He published a range of papers on electrochemistry in addition to his Atlas.

References

* Pourbaix, M., Atlas of electrochemical equilibria in aqueous solutions. 2d English ed. 1974, Houston, Tex.: National Association of Corrosion Engineers.

External links

Marcel Pourbaix (1904–1998)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pourbaix, Marcel Belgian chemists 1904 births 1998 deaths Belgian expatriates Expatriates in the Russian Empire Université libre de Bruxelles alumni Academic staff of the Université libre de Bruxelles Electrochemists People from Tula Governorate Delft University of Technology alumni

Early life

Career

See also

References

External links