Born: 5-Nov-1854
Birthplace: Carcassonne, France
Died: 14-Aug-1941
Location of death: Toulouse, France
Cause of death: unspecified

Gender: Male
Race or Ethnicity: White
Sexual orientation: Straight
Occupation: Chemist

Nationality: France
Executive summary: Heterogeneous catalysis

French chemist Paul Sabatier studied under Marcellin Berthelot and conducted key research into catalysis (the alteration of a chemical reaction by adding a substance which itself is not changed or consumed in the process). He won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1912, for his explanation of the use of nickel as a catalyst for hydrogenation. His work in catalysis made posible the subsequent development of margarine, hydrogenated oils, and the synthetic methanol industry, and he is the namesake of the Sabatier principle, which governs chemical interactions between catalyst and substrate.

Not to be confused with a different but contemporaneous Paul Sabatier (1858-1928), who authored a well-known biography of St. Francis of Assisi.

Wife: Mlle. Herail (four daughters)

    High School: École Normale Supérieure, Paris (1874)
    University: DSc, Collège de France (1880)
    Teacher: University of Bordeaux (1881-82)
    Teacher: University of Toulouse (1882-84)
    Professor: University of Toulouse (1882-1930)
    Administrator: Dean, University of Toulouse (1905-30)

    Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1912 (with Victor Grignard)
    Davy Medal 1915
    Benjamin Franklin Medal 1933 (by the Franklin Institute)
    French Legion of Honor
    French Academy of Sciences
    Royal Netherlands Academy of Sciences Foreign Member
    Royal Society Foreign Member (1918)
    American Chemical Society Foreign Member

Author of books:
La Catalyse en Chimie Orgarnique (Catalysis in Organic Chemistry) (1912, non-fiction)

Copyright ©2025