Svante Arrhenius

Swedish astronomer, chemist and physicist (1859–1927)

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Lived 1859–1927, aged 68Sweden

Sweden ScientistsScientist

Fame24.7
Momentum4.1
Sweden rank#42
Scientists rank#130
Wikipedia8.9K

Wikipedia
95 languages
Cross-language footprint
Rank in Sweden
#42
Scientists
Era
1859–1927
Aged 68

Summary

Updated 2026-05-29

Swedish chemist who basically invented physical chemistry and snagged the 1903 Nobel Prize in Chemistry—first Swede to land one. Later ran the Nobel Institute until his death, which is either a great honor or a bureaucratic punishment depending on your view.

Biography

About

Svante August Arrhenius was a Swedish scientist. Originally a physicist, but often referred to as a chemist, Arrhenius was one of the founders of the science of physical chemistry. In 1903, he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, becoming the first Swedish Nobel laureate. In 1905, he became the director of the Nobel Institute, where he remained until his death.

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