Julius Tafel

Julius Tafel (2 June 1862 – 2 September 1918) was a Swiss chemist and electrochemist.

Julius Tafel
Julius Tafel
Born(1862-06-02)2 June 1862
Courrendlin, Switzerland
Died2 September 1918(1918-09-02) (aged 56)
Munich, German Empire
NationalityGerman
Alma materUniversity of Munich
Known forTafel reaction
Tafel equation
Scientific career
FieldsElectrochemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of Munich
Doctoral advisorHermann Emil Fischer

Work

He worked first with Hermann Emil Fischer on the field of organic chemistry, but changed to electrochemistry after his work with Wilhelm Ostwald. He is known for the discovery of an electrosynthetic rearrangement reaction of various alkylated ethyl acetoacetates to form hydrocarbons, now called the Tafel rearrangement, and the Tafel equation, which relates the rate of an electrochemical reaction to the overpotential. He is also credited for the discovery of the catalytic mechanism of hydrogen evolution (the Tafel mechanism). Tafel retired aged 48 due to ill health, but continued to write book reviews until his death.[1]

Life

Tafel suffered from insomnia and eventually had a complete nervous breakdown. He committed suicide in Munich in 1918.

References
  1. G., Compton, R. (2011). Understanding voltammetry. Banks, Craig E. (2nd ed.). London: Imperial College Press. pp. 47–49. ISBN 978-1848165861. OCLC 676743565.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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