Welsbach, Carl Auer, Freiherr von
- Welsbach, Carl Auer, Freiherr von
-
▪ Austrian chemist and engineer
(baron of)
born Sept. 1, 1858, Vienna
died Aug. 4, 1929, Treibach, Austria
Austrian chemist and engineer who invented the gas mantle, thus allowing the greatly increased output of light by gas lamps.
In 1885 Welsbach discovered and isolated the elements
neodymium and
praseodymium from a mixture called didymium, which was previously considered an element. His interest in rare-earth elements (
rare-earth element) continued, and he found that a fabric impregnated with a mixture of thorium nitrate and cerium nitrate could be made into a mantle that glowed brightly when heated by a gas flame. Patented in 1885, the Welsbach mantle greatly improved gas lighting and, although largely supplanted by the incandescent lamp, is still widely used in kerosene and other lanterns.
In 1898 Welsbach introduced the first metallic filament (
filament lamp) for incandescent lamps. Although the osmium he used was too rare for general use, his improvement paved the way for the tungsten filament and the modern light bulb.
Welsbach also developed
misch metal, a mixture of cerium and other rare earths, which he combined with iron to make Auer's metal, the first improvement over flint and steel for making sparks since ancient times. It is used in cigarette lighters and in strikers for lighting gas jets.
* * *
Universalium.
2010.
Look at other dictionaries:
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Auer-Gesellschaft — Die Auergesellschaft war ein ursprüngliches Berliner Unternehmen zur Herstellung von Gasglühlampen und Metallfadenlampen. Am Gründungsstandort in Berlin Friedrichshain wurden durch Nachfolgeunternehmen noch bis 1992 Leuchtmittel produziert. Die… … Deutsch Wikipedia
MSA AUER GmbH — Die Auergesellschaft war ein ursprüngliches Berliner Unternehmen zur Herstellung von Gasglühlampen und Metallfadenlampen. Am Gründungsstandort in Berlin Friedrichshain wurden durch Nachfolgeunternehmen noch bis 1992 Leuchtmittel produziert. Die… … Deutsch Wikipedia
Auer — Auer, 1) Alfons, katholischer Theologe, * Schönebürg (heute zu Schwendi, Kreis Biberach) 12. 2. 1915; seit 1955 Professor für theologische Ethik in Würzburg, seit 1966 in Tübingen; untersucht grundsätzliche Fragen der Moraltheologie und… … Universal-Lexikon
rare-earth element — /rair errth /, Chem. any of a group of closely related metallic elements, comprising the lanthanides, scandium, and yttrium, that are chemically similar by virtue of having the same number of valence electrons. Also called rare earth metal. [1955 … Universalium
Alois Auer von Welsbach — Alois Auer Ritter von Welsbach. Lithographie. Alois Auer Ritter von Welsbach (* 11. Mai 1813 in Wels, Österreich ob der Enns, als Alois Auer; † 10. Juli 1869 in Hietzing bei Wien) war ein österreichischer Drucker, Erfinder und… … Deutsch Wikipedia
lutetium — /looh tee shee euhm/, n. Chem. a trivalent rare earth element. Symbol: Lu; at. wt.: 174.97; at. no.: 71. Also, lutecium. [1905 10; < L Lutet(ia) Paris + IUM] * * * ▪ chemical element (Lu), chemical element, rare earth metal of the lanthanoid… … Universalium
neodymium — /nee oh dim ee euhm/, n. Chem. a rare earth, metallic, trivalent element occurring with cerium and other rare earth metals, and having rose colored to violet colored salts. Symbol: Nd; at. wt.: 144.24; at. no.: 60; sp. gr.: 6.9 at 20°C. [1880 85; … Universalium
