Fritz Feigl
Encyclopedia
Fritz Feigl was an Austria
-born chemist
. He taught at the University of Brazil.
, but owing to his military service in the First World War he had to interrupt his studies. He received his Ph.D. for work with Wilhelm Schlenk
in 1920. After his habilitation in 1928 he became a Professor at the University of Vienna
. He was forced to retire after the Nazi occupation of Austria in 1938.
Feigl was able to get to Belgium and work there. After the occupation of Belgium he was imprisoned in a concentration camp, but was able to reach Portugal and from there Brasil in 1940.
He worked at the University of Rio de Janeiro and became a Brazilian citizen in 1944.
Techniques and reagents to discover PH of samples like a little piece of paper with some reagents which shows if a solution is acid, basic or neutral.
He also has developed a way to know if fishes eaten by Amazon population are contaminated by plumber. Poor populations by the Amazon rivers were taught to easily use that technique to find out contaminated fishes and discharge them.
A less known contribution is the development of "luminol", a substance used by forensic investigations to detect presence of blood, even if the scene is washed and cleaned.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
-born chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
. He taught at the University of Brazil.
Biography
Feigl was born and studied in ViennaVienna
Vienna is the capital and largest city of the Republic of Austria and one of the nine states of Austria. Vienna is Austria's primary city, with a population of about 1.723 million , and is by far the largest city in Austria, as well as its cultural, economic, and political centre...
, but owing to his military service in the First World War he had to interrupt his studies. He received his Ph.D. for work with Wilhelm Schlenk
Wilhelm Schlenk
Wilhelm Johann Schlenk was a German chemist. He was born in Munich and also studied chemistry there. Schlenk succeeded Hermann Emil Fischer at the University of Berlin in 1919....
in 1920. After his habilitation in 1928 he became a Professor at the University of Vienna
University of Vienna
The University of Vienna is a public university located in Vienna, Austria. It was founded by Duke Rudolph IV in 1365 and is the oldest university in the German-speaking world...
. He was forced to retire after the Nazi occupation of Austria in 1938.
Feigl was able to get to Belgium and work there. After the occupation of Belgium he was imprisoned in a concentration camp, but was able to reach Portugal and from there Brasil in 1940.
He worked at the University of Rio de Janeiro and became a Brazilian citizen in 1944.
Contributions
Fritz Feigl is known worldwide as the creator of "touch analysis", a simple and efficient technique where analytic assays are executed in only one, or a few drops, of a chemical solution, preferably in a great piece of filter paper, without using any sophisticated instrumentation.Techniques and reagents to discover PH of samples like a little piece of paper with some reagents which shows if a solution is acid, basic or neutral.
He also has developed a way to know if fishes eaten by Amazon population are contaminated by plumber. Poor populations by the Amazon rivers were taught to easily use that technique to find out contaminated fishes and discharge them.
A less known contribution is the development of "luminol", a substance used by forensic investigations to detect presence of blood, even if the scene is washed and cleaned.
Literary works
- Qualitative Analyse mit Hilfe von Tüpfelreaktionen, 1931
- Chemistry of specific, selective and sensitive reactions, 1949
- Spot tests in inorganic analysis, 1958
- Spot tests in organic analysis, 1966
External links
- http://www.chemistry.org.il/booklet/10/pdf/fritz.pdf Weintraub, B. (2002). Fritz Feigl and Spot Tests; Chemistry in Israel, Bull. Isr. Chem. Soc., Issue 10, Sept. 2002, p 24-25.