Article · Wikipedia archive · Last revised Jun 8, 2026

Runar Collander

Paul Runar Collander was a Finnish botanist. He was an adjunct professor of plant physiology at the University of Helsinki from 1935 to 1939, and professor of botany from 1939 to 1961. He gained international acclaim for his research on the effect of molecular size and solubility ratios on the ability of substances to penetrate the cell membrane. He presented the "lipoid filter theory" of permeability and further developed it. Collander also wrote several works on the history of botany.

Last revised
Jun 8, 2026
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Runar Collander
Born(1894-05-01)1 May 1894
Vyborg, Finland
Died25 May 1973(1973-05-25) (aged 79)
Helsinki, Finland
Alma materUniversity of Helsinki
Scientific career
FieldsBotany, Plant physiology
InstitutionsUniversity of Helsinki

Paul Runar Collander (1 May 1894 Vyborg – 25 May 1973 Helsinki) was a Finnish botanist. He was an adjunct professor of plant physiology at the University of Helsinki from 1935 to 1939, and professor of botany from 1939 to 1961.1 He gained international acclaim for his research on the effect of molecular size and solubility ratios on the ability of substances to penetrate the cell membrane.2 He presented the "lipoid filter theory" of permeability and further developed it. Collander also wrote several works on the history of botany.1

Selected works

  • Collander, Runar (1965). The History of Botany in Finland, 1828–1918. The History of Learning and Science in Finland, 1828–1918. Helsinki: Societas Scientiarum Fennica [Finnish Society of Sciences and Letters]. pp. 1–159.
References

References

  1. Leikola, Anto (20 October 2002). "Collander, Runar (1894–1973)" (in Finnish). Suomen kansallisbiografia [The National Biography of Finland]. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  2. Stein, Wilfred D.; Litman, Thomas (2015). "Simple Diffusion of Nonelectrolytes and Ions". Channels, Carriers, and Pumps: An Introduction to Membrane Transport. Amsterdam: Elsevier. pp. 37–80. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-416579-3.00002-2. ISBN 978-0-12-416579-3. OCLC 898070405.