Carl Auer von Welsbach
| Carl F. Auer von Welsbach | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Born |
1 September 1858 Vienna, Austrian Empire |
| Died | 4 August 1929 (aged 70) Mölbling, Austria |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Fields | chemistry |
| Doctoral advisor | Robert Bunsen |
| Known for |
rare earth elements discovery of praseodymium discovery of neodymium discovery of lutetium |
| Notable awards | Elliott Cresson Medal (1900) |
Carl Auer von Welsbach, also known as Carl Auer, Freiherr von Welsbach (1 September 1858 – 4 August 1929) was an Austrian scientist and inventor who had a talent not only for discovering advances, but also for turning them into commercially successful products. He is particularly well known for his work on rare earth elements, which led to the development of the flint used in modern lighters, the gas mantle which brought light to the streets of Europe in the late 19th century, and for the development of the metal filament light bulb.
Carl Auer was born in Vienna on 1 September 1858 to Therese and Alois Auer. Alois, ennobled in 1860, was director of the Imperial printing office (K.-k. Hof- und Staatsdruckerei) in the days of the Austrian Empire. Carl went to high schools in Mariahilf and Josefstadt. After leaving school in 1877, he joined the Austro-Hungarian Army and was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant.
In 1878 Auer entered the University of Vienna, studying mathematics, general chemistry, engineering physics, and thermodynamics. He then moved to the University of Heidelberg in 1880, where he continued his studies in chemistry under the direction of Robert Bunsen (inventor of the Bunsen burner). In 1882 he received his degree of Ph.D. and returned to Vienna to work as an unpaid assistant in Prof. Adolf Lieben's laboratory, working with chemical separation methods for investigations on rare earth elements.
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