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| '''Johann Rudolf Glauber''' ( 1604 (?); ] ]), a ]-] ] and ]. Some historians of science have described him as one of the first ]s<ref>Herman Skolnik ''in'' W. F. Furter (ed) (1982) ''A Century of Chemical Engineering'' ISBN 0-306-40895-3 page 230</ref>. His discovery of ] in 1625 led to the compound being named after him ("Glauber's salt"). | '''Johann Rudolf Glauber''' ( 1604 (?); ] ]), a ]-] ] and ]. Some historians of science have described him as one of the first ]s<ref>Herman Skolnik ''in'' W. F. Furter (ed) (1982) ''A Century of Chemical Engineering'' ISBN 0-306-40895-3 page 230</ref>. His discovery of ] in 1625 led to the compound being named after him ("Glauber's salt"). | ||
| ==Life<ref name=German>This incorporates material from the German Misplaced Pages and the Galileo Project which are referenced to German sources</ref>== | ==Life<ref name=German>This incorporates material from the German Misplaced Pages and the Galileo Project which are referenced to German sources</ref>== | ||
| Born 1604 in ], the son of a ], he was one of a large family and did not finish school, but is thought to have studied pharmacy and visited a number of laboratories. He himself said that he was glad that he had not suffered the grind of high school but had instead learned by experience. He lived in ] (1625), ] (1649-1651), ] (1651-1655), ], ], ], ] and ] (1640-1644, 1646-1649, 1656-death). He worked manufacturing mirrors |
Born 1604 in ], the son of a ], he was one of a large family and did not finish school, but is thought to have studied ] and visited a number of laboratories. He himself said that he was glad that he had not suffered the grind of high school but had instead learned by experience. He lived in ] (1625), ], ], ] (1649-1651), ] (1651-1655), ], ], ], ] and ] (1640-1644, 1646-1649, 1656-death). He worked first manufacturing mirrors and later for two periods as ] to the court in ], the second time as the Chief Apothecary, leaving because of the ]. In Amsterdam he built up a business manufacturing ] (including chemicals such as Glauber's salt). This led to both great financial success and in 1649 ], which is the reason for his move from Amsterdam to Wertheim. | ||
| He married twice, and with his second wife Helena Cornelius (married 1641) had eight children. | |||
| In 1660 he became seriously ill, which has been attributed to poisoning from the various ]s used in his work<ref name=metals>] was used in silvering mirrors and also in medicine. ] and ] were used in medicines. ] was used in the preparation of acids. These are all cumulative poisons.</ref>, and in 1666 was crippled by a fall from a wagon and was confined to bed for the rest of his life. As a result he had to sell off books and equipment to provide for his family. He died 16 March 1670 in Amsterdam. | |||
| ==Work== | ==Work== | ||
Revision as of 20:42, 9 November 2008
Johann Rudolf Glauber ( 1604 (?); March 10 1670), a German-Dutch alchemist and chemist. Some historians of science have described him as one of the first chemical engineers. His discovery of sodium sulfate in 1625 led to the compound being named after him ("Glauber's salt").
Life
Born 1604 in Karlstadt am Main, the son of a barber, he was one of a large family and did not finish school, but is thought to have studied pharmacy and visited a number of laboratories. He himself said that he was glad that he had not suffered the grind of high school but had instead learned by experience. He lived in Vienna (1625), Salzburg, Giessen, Wertheim (1649-1651), Kitzingen (1651-1655), Basel, Paris, Frankfurt am Main, Cologne and Amsterdam (1640-1644, 1646-1649, 1656-death). He worked first manufacturing mirrors and later for two periods as Apothecary to the court in Giessen, the second time as the Chief Apothecary, leaving because of the Thirty Years War. In Amsterdam he built up a business manufacturing pharmaceuticals (including chemicals such as Glauber's salt). This led to both great financial success and in 1649 bankruptcy, which is the reason for his move from Amsterdam to Wertheim.
He married twice, and with his second wife Helena Cornelius (married 1641) had eight children.
In 1660 he became seriously ill, which has been attributed to poisoning from the various heavy metals used in his work, and in 1666 was crippled by a fall from a wagon and was confined to bed for the rest of his life. As a result he had to sell off books and equipment to provide for his family. He died 16 March 1670 in Amsterdam.
Work
His work and experiments resulted in discoveries of several analytic methods and he was the first to produce hydrochloric acid. He also established the manufacture of nitric acid in 1648, by heating potassium nitrate with concentrated sulphuric acid.
The Chemical Garden (or Silica Garden) was first observed and described by Glauber in 1646. In its original form, the Chemical Garden involved the introduction of ferrous chloride (FeCl2) crystals into a solution of potassium silicate (K2SiO3, water glass).
Publications
External Sources
Notes and References
- Herman Skolnik in W. F. Furter (ed) (1982) A Century of Chemical Engineering ISBN 0-306-40895-3 page 230
- This incorporates material from the German Misplaced Pages and the Galileo Project which are referenced to German sources
- Mercury was used in silvering mirrors and also in medicine. Arsenic and antimony were used in medicines. Lead was used in the preparation of acids. These are all cumulative poisons.
- Johann Rudolf Glauber, Furni Novi Philosophici. Amsterdam, 1646