Van't Hoff, Jacobus Henricus

Jacobus Henricus van ’t Hoff was a Dutch physical and organic chemist who made significant contributions to science in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for developing the Van’t Hoff factor, which explains how dissolved substances affect the boiling and freezing points of liquids, reflecting their dissociation or association in solution. His work helped advance the understanding of chemical equilibrium and thermodynamics. Van ’t Hoff's research laid foundational principles for modern physical chemistry, earning him the first Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1901.