In memoriam Vladimír Ponec
On 7 August 2026, Prof. Dr Vladimír Ponec, Emeritus Professor of Catalysis at the Faculty of Science, Leiden University, passed away at the age of 93.
With his passing, the international catalysis community has lost an influential and astute thinker, and our university has lost a dedicated lecturer, researcher and mentor. Vladimír Ponec was born on 26 September 1932 in Prague. He was one of a group of influential physical chemists, and in particular catalysts, in the second half of the twentieth century. His expertise was catalysis and surface chemistry.
He studied chemistry at Charles University in Prague from 1951 to 1956 and subsequently undertook doctoral research at the Institute of Physical Chemistry of the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences in Prague, focusing on chemisorption and catalytic reactions on clean metal surfaces. His first scientific publication appeared in 1958. After obtaining his PhD in 1960, he continued to work at this institute. His research into changes in electrical conductivity and electron work function during adsorption gained international recognition. At the request of Prof. Dr Rudolf Brdička, he was appointed scientific secretary of the institute in 1962, with responsibility for providing scientific and organisational support to the institute’s management.
In 1968, Ponec emigrated (fled) to the Netherlands, a decision prompted by the political situation surrounding the Prague Spring. His wife and young daughter also managed to join him, via a different route. In the Netherlands, he was immediately appointed as a ZWO researcher under the supervision of Prof. Wolfgang Sachtler and affiliated with Leiden University, where he continued his academic career. He delivered his ‘Public Lecture’ (‘Opening Lecture’) on 15 June 1973, entitled ‘Catalysis on Metal Alloys’.
Following his appointments as associate professor and lector, he was appointed full professor in 1979. Here he built up his research group and reputation, and became a leading researcher in the field of heterogeneous catalysis, with a particular focus on the selectivity of catalytic reactions, metal alloys and reaction mechanisms on oxide catalysts. Ponec became a strong advocate of the catalytic oxidation mechanism in which oxygen ions from the lattice of a metal oxide act as an oxygen shuttle during oxidation reactions.
During his career, Ponec published more than 250 scientific articles. His work has been cited nearly 11,000 times worldwide and has had a lasting influence on the understanding of catalytic processes. Some of his most frequently cited publications concern the Mars–van Krevelen mechanism, the selectivity of palladium and rhodium catalysts, and the role of promoters in hydrogenation reactions. His article: ‘The universal character of the Mars and Van Krevelen mechanism’ (J. Mol. Cat. 162 (1998), pp. 19–32) is one of his most influential contributions, with over 450 citations. To this day, the article is still cited 2–4 times a month. He wrote this article to mark his retirement, as his farewell lecture on 26 September 1997.
Ponec was a popular lecturer and supervisor and was much loved by his students. Generations of students and PhD candidates remember him as an inspiring, sharp-minded yet warm-hearted individual, who was able to convey the essence of catalysis with patience and humour. He led several study trips abroad for students and PhD candidates, of which those in 1984, 1988 and 1992 were particularly memorable and became known as the two-week Rhine trips. He was always modest and amiable, and highly regarded by his colleagues. His international scientific recognition is also evident from his receipt of the prestigious Bourke Award from the Royal Society of Chemistry (UK) in 1984, a prize for outstanding research in physical chemistry, particularly catalysis and surface chemistry.
His work provides a lasting foundation for both academic research and industrial catalysis applications. We remember Vladimir Ponec with great respect and gratitude. His scientific legacy lives on in the field of catalysis, his collegiality in the memories of many, and his influence in the work of the many researchers he mentored. Our thoughts are with his family, friends and former colleagues.