Hans Goldschmidt
Encyclopedia
Johannes Wilhelm "Hans" Goldschmidt (January 18, 1861 – May 21, 1923) was a German
chemist
.
Born in Berlin
, he was a student of Robert Bunsen
. His father, Theodor Goldschmidt
, was the founder of the chemical company Chemische Fabrik Th. Goldschmidt which eventually became part of the modern company Degussa, and Hans and his brother Karl managed this company for many years.
He is principally noted as the inventor of thermite
and co-inventor of sodium amalgam
. The thermite
(or aluminothermic) reaction is one in which aluminum metal is oxidized by an oxide of another metal, usually iron oxide, producing great heat in the process. Dr. Goldschmidt was originally interested in producing very pure metals by avoiding the use of carbon
in smelting
, but he soon realized the value in welding
, a process known as thermic welding
. It is also is used in incendiary devices. This process is sometimes called the "Goldschmidt reaction" or "Goldschmidt process," because he invented it in 1893 and patented it in 1895 and published an extensive paper in 1898.
His grave is preserved in the Protestant Friedhof I der Jerusalems- und Neuen Kirchengemeinde (Cemetery No. I of the congregations of Jerusalem's Church
and New Church
) in Berlin-Kreuzberg
, south of Hallesches Tor
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
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...
.
Born in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, he was a student of Robert Bunsen
Robert Bunsen
Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen was a German chemist. He investigated emission spectra of heated elements, and discovered caesium and rubidium with Gustav Kirchhoff. Bunsen developed several gas-analytical methods, was a pioneer in photochemistry, and did early work in the field of organoarsenic...
. His father, Theodor Goldschmidt
Theodor Goldschmidt
Theodor Goldschmidt was a German-Jewish entrepreneur and chemist.Goldschmidt studied chemistry at the University of Berlin, and then trained as a colorist, a specialist in dyeing textiles. In 1834, he converted to Protestant Christianity. On 8 December 1847, he founded a chemical factory in...
, was the founder of the chemical company Chemische Fabrik Th. Goldschmidt which eventually became part of the modern company Degussa, and Hans and his brother Karl managed this company for many years.
He is principally noted as the inventor of thermite
Thermite
Thermite is a pyrotechnic composition of a metal powder and a metal oxide that produces an exothermic oxidation-reduction reaction known as a thermite reaction. If aluminium is the reducing agent it is called an aluminothermic reaction...
and co-inventor of sodium amalgam
Sodium amalgam
Sodium amalgam, commonly denoted Na, is an alloy of mercury and sodium. The term amalgam is used for alloys, intermetallic compounds, and solutions involving mercury as a major component. Sodium amalgam is often used in reactions as strong reducing agents with better handling properties compared...
. The thermite
Thermite
Thermite is a pyrotechnic composition of a metal powder and a metal oxide that produces an exothermic oxidation-reduction reaction known as a thermite reaction. If aluminium is the reducing agent it is called an aluminothermic reaction...
(or aluminothermic) reaction is one in which aluminum metal is oxidized by an oxide of another metal, usually iron oxide, producing great heat in the process. Dr. Goldschmidt was originally interested in producing very pure metals by avoiding the use of carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
in smelting
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
, but he soon realized the value in welding
Welding
Welding is a fabrication or sculptural process that joins materials, usually metals or thermoplastics, by causing coalescence. This is often done by melting the workpieces and adding a filler material to form a pool of molten material that cools to become a strong joint, with pressure sometimes...
, a process known as thermic welding
Thermic welding
Thermic welding is the process of seamlessly welding streetcar and railroad tracks. It is also known as the Goldschmidt Reduction process.It was introduced by Johann Wilhelm Goldschmidt in 1895 when he patented the process in Germany under the corporate name of Goldschmidt AG...
. It is also is used in incendiary devices. This process is sometimes called the "Goldschmidt reaction" or "Goldschmidt process," because he invented it in 1893 and patented it in 1895 and published an extensive paper in 1898.
His grave is preserved in the Protestant Friedhof I der Jerusalems- und Neuen Kirchengemeinde (Cemetery No. I of the congregations of Jerusalem's Church
Jerusalem's Church
Jerusalem's Church is one of the churches of the Evangelical Congregation in the Friedrichstadt , a member of the Protestant umbrella organisation Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia. The present church building is located in Berlin, borough Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg, in...
and New Church
Deutscher Dom
Deutscher Dom is the colloquial naming for the New Church located in Berlin on the Gendarmenmarkt across from Französischer Dom . Its parish comprised the northern part of the then new quarter of Friedrichstadt, which until then belonged to the parish of the congregations of Jerusalem's Church...
) in Berlin-Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg
Kreuzberg, a part of the combined Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg borough located south of Mitte since 2001, is one of the best-known areas of Berlin...
, south of Hallesches Tor
Hallesches Tor (Berlin U-Bahn)
The underground station Hallesches Tor is part of the Berlin U-Bahn network at the intersection of the east-west bound U1 and the north-south bound U6 in the Kreuzberg district.-Overview:...
.