chemistry

René Schwarzenbach

René Schwarzenbach is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand René Schwarzenbach rather than just read about it. In short: René P. Schwarzenbach (born 18 December 1945) in Erlenbach is a Swiss chemist.

Key takeaways

René Schwarzenbach belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect René Schwarzenbach to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of René Schwarzenbach from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

René P. Schwarzenbach (born 18 December 1945) in Erlenbach is a Swiss chemist. He is professor emeritus of environmental chemistry and a former head of the department of environmental sciences at the ETH Zürich. Schwarzenbach received his Ph.D. 1973 at the department of chemistry at the ETH Zürich. In 1977 he has accepted a position at the Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology (Eawag), where he worked until 2006. Since 2000 he has been listed in the database of Highly Cited Researchers published by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI). In 2001 he received the SETAC Environmental Education Award. In 2006 he received the Award for Creative Advances in Environmental Science & Technology from the American Chemical Society. A special issue of the ACS journal Environmental Science & Technology was devoted to Schwarzenbach in July 2013.

Selected publications René P. Schwarzenbach; Philip M. Gschwend; Dieter M. Imboden (2016). Environmental Organic Chemistry (3rd ed.). Somerset: John Wiley & Sons, Incorporated. ISBN 978-1-118-76704-7. OCLC 969636996. Rene P. Schwarzenbach; Philip M. Gschwend; Dieter M. Imboden (2003). Environmental Organic Chemistry (2nd ed.). Hoboken, N.J.: Wiley-Interscience. ISBN 0-471-35053-2. OCLC 50598231.

References

External links Profile at the website of the Department of Environmental Systems Science

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with René Schwarzenbach

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what René Schwarzenbach claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to René Schwarzenbach before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about René Schwarzenbach ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of René Schwarzenbach

In research: René Schwarzenbach appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses René Schwarzenbach in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: René Schwarzenbach is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1945 births, Academic staff of ETH Zurich, Chemist stubs, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for René Schwarzenbach outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study René Schwarzenbach in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what René Schwarzenbach means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain René Schwarzenbach out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is René Schwarzenbach in simple terms?

René P. Schwarzenbach (born 18 December 1945) in Erlenbach is a Swiss chemist.

Why does René Schwarzenbach matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study René Schwarzenbach?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on René Schwarzenbach.