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Yacov BickermanAmerican and German chemist
Date of Birth: 08.11.1898
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Early Life and Education
- Emigration to Germany
- Persecution and Flight to England
- Career in the United States
- Major Scientific Contributions
- "Surface Chemistry for Industrial Research" (1947 and 1958)
- Literary Endeavors
- Later Years and Legacy
Early Life and Education
Yakov Ilich Bikerman was born on November 8, 1898, in Odessa, Russia. His father, Iosif Menaseevich Bikerman, was a renowned publicist. In 1905, the family relocated to Saint Petersburg, where Yakov attended high school and later graduated from the Chemical Department of the Physics and Mathematics Faculty at Petrograd University.
Emigration to Germany
Following the Russian Revolution, Bikerman emigrated to Germany in 1922. He secured a research position at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin, where he made significant contributions to physical and colloid chemistry, electrochemistry, and industrial purification technologies.
Persecution and Flight to England
With the rise of the Nazis in 1933, Bikerman was dismissed from his position due to his Jewish heritage. In 1936, he settled in England, continuing his research while also contributing poetry to Russian-language émigré publications.
Career in the United States
In 1945, Bikerman relocated to the United States, where he held positions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Merck Laboratories, and Yardni Laboratories. From 1965 onwards, he worked at the private research company Horizons, Inc. in Cleveland as a professor in electrical engineering at Case Western Reserve University until his passing.
Major Scientific Contributions
Throughout his career, Bikerman published several groundbreaking works, including:
"Surface Chemistry for Industrial Research" (1947 and 1958)
"Foams: Theory and Industrial Applications" (1953 and 1970)"The Science of Adhesive Joints" (1961 and 1968)
"Physical Surfaces" (1970)
"Inorganic and Physical Chemistry" (1978)
He introduced important concepts such as the Bikerman Foaming Column and the Bikerman Coefficient for calculating foam formation.
Literary Endeavors
While in Germany and England between the two World Wars, Bikerman published poetry in Russian-language émigré journals. In 1975, he released "Two Bikermans," a book containing fictionalized autobiographies of his father and himself.
Later Years and Legacy
Yakov Ilich Bikerman passed away on June 11, 1978, in Cleveland, Ohio. He left behind a rich legacy of scientific contributions and literary works that continue to inspire and inform researchers and scholars worldwide.
