Pavel Jungwirth

Pavel Jungwirth
Born(1966-05-20)20 May 1966
Prague, Czechoslovakia
Died23 July 2026(2026-07-23) (aged 60)
EducationCzech Academy of Sciences (Ph.D. 1993)
SpouseIva (née Kratochvilova)
AwardsOtto Wichterle Prize (2002), Spiers Memorial Prize from the Royal Society for Chemistry (2008), Member of the Learned Society of the Czech Republic (2009)
Scientific career
FieldsOrganic chemistry
Physical chemistry
Computational chemistry
WorkplacesInstitute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences
Rudolf Zahradník
Websitejungwirth.group.uochb.cz/en

Pavel Jungwirth (20 May 1966 – 23 July 2026) was a Czech physical chemist. From 2004 until his death in 2026, he was the head of the Senior Research Group at the Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry (IOCB) of the Czech Academy of Sciences. He was also a professor in the Faculty of Mathematics and Physics at Charles University from 2000[1][2] and a senior editor of the Journal of Physical Chemistry from 2009-2023.[2] He was popularly known for studying the explosive reaction between alkali metals, such as sodium and potassium, and water; his research on this subject indicates that these reactions result from a Coulomb explosion.[3][4] He and his colleagues have also discovered a way to slow down this reaction, which they used to determine the source of a blue flash that is briefly produced during the reaction.[5]

Jungwirth was a coordinator of an international science competition Dream Chemistry Award, and appeared on the Academy of Sciences podcast.[6]

Jungwirth died by suicide on 23 July 2026, at the age of 60.[7][8]

References

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  1. ↑ "Pavel Jungwirth, Ph.D." Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry. Czech Academy of Sciences. Archived from the original on 2017-07-05. Retrieved 2017-03-20.
  2. 1 2 Jungwirth, Pavel. "Pavel Jungwirth Curriculum Vitae".
  3. ↑ Webb, Jonathan (26 January 2015). "Metal explosions 'driven by charge'". BBC News.
  4. ↑ Mason, Philip E.; Uhlig, Frank; Vaněk, Václav; Buttersack, Tillmann; Bauerecker, Sigurd; Jungwirth, Pavel (2015-01-26). "Coulomb explosion during the early stages of the reaction of alkali metals with water". Nature Chemistry. 7 (3): 250–254. doi:10.1038/nchem.2161. ISSN 1755-4349.
  5. ↑ Coghlan, Andy (9 August 2016). "Watch a classic chemistry lab explosion tamed to run in slow-mo". New Scientist.
  6. ↑ "Fyzikální chemik Pavel Jungwirth získal Cenu Neuron za celoživotní přínos vědě" (in Czech). Czech Academy of Sciences. Retrieved 2026-07-26.
  7. ↑ Švehla, Marek; Uhlíř, Martin (2026-07-26). "Za Pavlem Jungwirthem". Respekt (in Czech). Respekt Media. Retrieved 2026-07-27.
  8. ↑ Soukup, Jaroslav (27 July 2025). "Vědec Jungwirth spáchal sebevraždu". Novinky.cz (in Czech). Borgis. Retrieved 27 July 2025.
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