Dates

• Existence: 1884-1972
• Existence: 1884 - 1972

Biographical Note

Dr. Henry S. van Klooster, one of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute's most distinguished professors, was a member of the chemistry faculty from 1917 to 1955. Born in Groningen, Holland, in 1884, van Klooster attended the universities of Groningen in his home city, Gottingen in Germany, and Pasteur Institute in Paris. He received his doctorate from Groningen 1910, where he remained as a member of the teaching staff until the outbreak of war in 1914. At this time he was called to the colors of the Dutch army as a chemist in the Ordnance Department, and later worked until 1916 as a textile chemist in a woolen factory in Holland. Dr. van Klooster came to the United States in 1916 to accept an instructorship at Lafayette College. The following year he joined the Rensselaer chemistry staff. He became an assistant professor in 1921 and professor of physical chemistry in 1926. On account of his extensive knowledge of science and language, he was appointed to the "Alsos" Mission during the latter part of World War II. Dr. van Klooster's chemical interests ranged over a wide field. He taught general chemistry, inorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, food analysis, colloid science, and metallography. He was the author of a textbook on experiments in physical chemistry, of a Dutch language textbook on metallurgy and metallography, and was co-author of a laboratory manual of physical chemistry which had widespread use throughout the chemical world. He translated Kruyts' textbook on "Colloids" into English, and some of O. Henry's works into Dutch. In addition, he published several mimeographed editions of works on metallography and physical chemistry. Professor van Klooster's publications and reports numbered more than one hundred. His first research was in phase rule studies. Later he began to publish in the fields of colloid chemistry, history of chemistry, organic chemistry, and metallography. His paper on "Nitroso-R-Salt, a New Reagent for the determination of Cobalt" led to the publication of many analytical papers by chemists throughout the world and was of much value in the study of cobalt deficiency disease. He was especially well known for his many articles on the history of chemistry. In addition to his teaching, Professor van Klooster was consulting editor of Chymia, a long time abstractor for Chemical Abstracts, a referee on journal publications, and chairman of two Rensselaer faculty committees. He died in Troy, NY on July 23, 1972. [Edited from Alumni News, March 1955]

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