IN MEMORIAM PROFESSOR EMIL CHIFU (1925-1997)

Alexandra  CHIFU; Aurora  MOCANU; Maria  TOMOAIA-COTISEL

Authors

Alexandra CHIFU Research Center of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Corresponding author: maria.tomoaia@ubbcluj.ro.
Aurora MOCANU Research Center of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: aurora.mocanu@ubbcluj.ro. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8728-045X
Maria TOMOAIA-COTISEL Research Center of Physical Chemistry, Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, Babeş-Bolyai University, Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Email: maria.tomoaia@ubbcluj.ro. https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0995-3006

Abstract

This year, we commemorate the 20^th death anniversary of Professor Emil Chifu. 2017 also marks 40 years from the first scientific research project proposed by Professor Chifu and accepted for exploring in cosmos by NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) of the United States of America. As a prominent Romanian scientist, Professor Emil Chifu was an outstanding physical chemist, recognized by the international scientific community. He was one of the founders of the modern science of colloids, surfaces and membrane phenomena, thermodynamics and hydrodynamics of thin layers formed by surface active substances self-assembled into supramolecular structures at liquid interfaces. Professor Emil Chifu has created a modern research school in thermodynamics and physical chemistry of colloids and surfaces, at the Faculty of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering within Babes-Bolyai University in Cluj-Napoca (UBB). Currently, this school is known as the Center of Research in Physical Chemistry and is accredited within UBB.

References

M. Tomoaia-Cotisel and D.A. Cadenhead, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 1997, 195, 271.

M. Tomoaia-Cotisel and J. Zsako, Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Chemia, 1998, 43 (1-2), 3.

P.T. Frangopol, Revista de Chimie (Bucureşti), 2002, 53 (6), 495.

M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, A. Chifu, Studia Universitatis Babes-Bolyai, Chemia, 2007, 52 (3), 3.

P.T. Frangopol, Emil Chifu în Personalităţi ale Istoriei Chimiei Româneşti, Mediocritate şi Excelenţă, O radiografie a ştiinţei şi învăţământului din România, Chapter III, vol. 3, Casa Cărţii de Ştiinţă, Cluj-Napoca, 2008, pp. 175-180.

P.T. Frangopol, The first Romanian cosmic experiment approved by NASA- proposed by Emil Chifu, în Revista de Politica Ştiinţei şi Scientometrie - Serie nouă, 2015, 4 (2), 155.

P.T. Frangopol, Emil Chifu, în Mediocritate şi Excelenţă, O radiografie a ştiinţei şi învăţământului din România, Chapter VIII, vol. 6, Casa Cărţii de Ştiinţă, Cluj-Napoca, 2016, pp. 272-275.

E. Chifu, "Surface flow of liquids in the absence of gravity", Proposal selected by NASA’s Office of Aeronautics and Space Technology, 1977.

E. Chifu, I. Stan, Z. Finta and E. Gavrilă, Marangoni type surface flow on an undeformable free drop, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 1983, 93 (1), 140.

E. Chifu, I. Stan, Z. Finta and E. Gavrilă, The Marangoni effect and translation of free non-deformable drops, Revista de Chimie (Bucureşti), 1980, 31 (8), 765.

E. Chifu, I. Albu, C. I. Gheorghiu, E. Gavrilă, M. Sălăjan and M. Tomoaia-Cotişel, Marangoni flow-induced by temperature gradients-against gravity forces, Revue Roumaine de Chimie, 1986, 31 (1), 105.

E. Chifu and I. Albu, Interfacial tension variation in the course of liquid-liquid extraction. II. Molecular associations on extracting some monocarboxylic aliphatic acids, Annali di Chimica (Rome).1975, 65 (9-10), 519.

E. Chifu, M. Tomoaia, and A. Ioanette, Behaviour of canthaxanthin at the benzene/ water and air/water interfaces, Gazzetta Chimica Italiana, 1975, 105 (11-12), 1225.

M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, E. Chifu, V. Tămaş and V. Mărculeţiu, Behaviour of some apocarotenoid derivatives at the air/water interface, Revue Roumaine de Chimie, 1980, 25 (2), 175.

E. Chifu, J. Zsakó, and M. Tomoaia-Cotişel, Xanthophyll films. I. Single-component monolayers at the air/water interface, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 1983, 95 (2), 346.

M. Tomoaia-Cotişel, J. Zsakó, E. Chifu and P. J. Quinn, Influence of electrolytes on the monolayers properties of saturated galactolipids at the air/water interface, Chemistry and Physics of Lipids, 1983, 34 (1), 55.

J. Zsakó, M. Tomoaia-Cotisel and E. Chifu, Insoluble mixed monolayers. I. Phase equilibria at the collapse of binary monolayers at gas/liquid interfaces, J. Colloid Interface Sci., 1984, 102 (1), 186.

E. Chifu, J. Zsakó, M. Tomoaia-Cotişel, M. Sălăjan and I. Albu, Xanthophyll films. IV. Interaction of zeaxanthin and astaxanthin with electrolytes at the air/water interface, Journal of Colloid and Interface Science, 1986, 112 (1), 241.

M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, J. Zsakó, E. Chifu and P.J. Quinn, Intermolecular interactions in lipid-carotenoid monolayers, Biochemical Journal, 1987, 248, 877.

M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, J. Zsakó, A. Mocanu, E. Chifu, P.J. Quinn, Monolayer properties of membranes lipids of the extreme Halophile Halobacterium Cutirubrum at the air / water interface, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta,1988, 942, 295.

M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, J. Zsakó, E. Chifu and D.A. Cadenhead, Relaxation phenomena in apocarotenoid monolayers, Langmuir, 1990, 6 (1), 191.

J. Zsakó, M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, E. Chifu, A. Mocanu and P.T. Frangopol, Influence of stearic acid monolayers upon the procaine adsorption from underlying alkaline aqueous solutions, Biochimica et Biophysica Acta, 1990, 1024, 227.

M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, E. Chifu, J. Zsakó, A. Mocanu, P.J. Quinn and M. Kates, Monolayer properties of archaeol and caldarchaeol polar lipids of a methanogenic archaebacterium, Methanospirillum hungatei, at the air/water interface, Chemistry and Physics of Lipids, 1992, 63, 131.

J. Zsakó, M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, E. Chifu, A. Mocanu and P.T. Frangopol, Procaine interactions with phospholipid monolayers at the air/water interface, Gazzetta Chimica Italiana, 1994, 124, 5.

M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, L.C. Stewart, M. Kates, J. Zsakó, E. Chifu, A. Mocanu, P.T. Frangopol, L.J. Noe and P.J. Quinn, Acid dissociation constants of diphytanyl glycerol phosphorylglycerol-methylphosphate, and diphytanyl glycerol phosphoryl glycerophosphate and its deoxy analog, Chemistry and Physics of Lipids, 1999, 100, 41.

E. Chifu, "Chemistry of Colloids and Interfaces", Editors: M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, I. Albu, A. Mocanu, M. Salajan, E. Gavrila and Cs. Racz, University Press, Cluj-Napoca, 2000.

E. Chifu, M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, I. Albu, A. Mocanu, M.-I. Salajan, Cs. Racz and V.D. Pop, “Experimental Methods in Chemistry and Biophysics of Colloids and Interfaces”, University Press, Cluj-Napoca, 2004.

M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, I. Albu and E. Chifu, ”Chemical Thermodynamics”, The 2nd Edition, University Press, Cluj-Napoca, 2009.

M. Tomoaia-Cotisel, I. Albu and E. Chifu, ”Chemical Thermodynamics”, The First Edition, University Press, Cluj-Napoca, 2009.