Werner von Bolton
Encyclopedia
Werner von Bolton was a German
chemist and materials scientist. He devised a technique for producing filaments for incandescent light bulb
made out of tantalum
in 1902.
, Georgia
. He went on to study Chemistry at the Technische Hochschule Berlin and in Leipzig
. Post-Graduation, von Bolton worked at the company Siemens & Halske
in Berlin. In 1895 he achieved his doctorate.
In 1902 von Bolton detected the benefits of using Tantalium (Ta.)as a material in the production of filaments. Tantalium allowed for a greater luminosity with lower energy consumption when compared with previous alternatives such as coal.
In 1905, Siemens & Halske awarded von Bolton the position of director of the first central laboratory of the company, later the Physics and Chemistry laboratory.
After 1910, the bulbs with a tantalium filament were replaced by those with a tungsten filament.
Von Bolton died in Berlin on 28 October, 1912. He is honoured with the Boltonstraße, a street named after him in Siemensstadt, an area of Berlin's Spandau
district.
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 and materials scientist. He devised a technique for producing filaments for incandescent light bulb
Incandescent light bulb
The incandescent light bulb, incandescent lamp or incandescent light globe makes light by heating a metal filament wire to a high temperature until it glows. The hot filament is protected from air by a glass bulb that is filled with inert gas or evacuated. In a halogen lamp, a chemical process...
made out of tantalum
Tantalum
Tantalum is a chemical element with the symbol Ta and atomic number 73. Previously known as tantalium, the name comes from Tantalus, a character in Greek mythology. Tantalum is a rare, hard, blue-gray, lustrous transition metal that is highly corrosion resistant. It is part of the refractory...
in 1902.
Life
Werner von Bolton was born in TbilisiTbilisi
Tbilisi is the capital and the largest city of Georgia, lying on the banks of the Mt'k'vari River. The name is derived from an early Georgian form T'pilisi and it was officially known as Tiflis until 1936...
, Georgia
Georgia (country)
Georgia is a sovereign state in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located at the crossroads of Western Asia and Eastern Europe, it is bounded to the west by the Black Sea, to the north by Russia, to the southwest by Turkey, to the south by Armenia, and to the southeast by Azerbaijan. The capital of...
. He went on to study Chemistry at the Technische Hochschule Berlin and in Leipzig
Leipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
. Post-Graduation, von Bolton worked at the company Siemens & Halske
Siemens & Halske
Siemens & Halske AG was a German electrical engineering company that later became part of Siemens AG.It was founded on 12 October 1847 as Telegraphen-Bauanstalt von Siemens & Halske by Ernst Werner von Siemens and Johann Georg Halske...
in Berlin. In 1895 he achieved his doctorate.
In 1902 von Bolton detected the benefits of using Tantalium (Ta.)as a material in the production of filaments. Tantalium allowed for a greater luminosity with lower energy consumption when compared with previous alternatives such as coal.
In 1905, Siemens & Halske awarded von Bolton the position of director of the first central laboratory of the company, later the Physics and Chemistry laboratory.
After 1910, the bulbs with a tantalium filament were replaced by those with a tungsten filament.
Von Bolton died in Berlin on 28 October, 1912. He is honoured with the Boltonstraße, a street named after him in Siemensstadt, an area of Berlin's Spandau
Spandau
Spandau is the fifth of the twelve boroughs of Berlin. It is the fourth largest and westernmost borough, situated at the confluence of the Havel and Spree rivers and along the western bank of the Havel, but the least populated.-Overview:...
district.