Institute for Radium Research, Vienna

The Institute for Radium Research is an Austrian research institute associated with the Austrian Academy of Sciences, Vienna. The Institute's researchers won multiple Nobel Prizes. Due to the gradual change of interests, "nuclear physics" was added to the institute's name in 1956. Since 2004, it is called the Stefan-Meyer-Institute for subatomic physics.

The Sankt Joachimsthal mines were located within the Austria-Hungary monarchy, and were the largest producers of uranium containing ore at the end of the 19th century. Eduard Suess sent the first samples of pitchblende to Pierre and Marie Curie for their research on radioactive materials. This action was taken after the advice of Franz Serafin Exner. After the discovery of radium, the Austrian industrial Karl Kupelwieser donated 500,000 Austrian kronen to found an institute for research on radium in 1908. After constructing the building for the institute in 1909–1910, the institute was opened on 28 October 1910. Stefan Meyer became the first acting director, and Franz Serafin Exner was the director of the institute until Meyer took over in 1920. Meyer stayed in that position until the Anschluss Österreichs in 1938, the annexation of Austria by Nazi Germany, forced him to retire due to his Jewish ancestors. After the war, he was reinstated as director and performed his duties until his retirement in 1947. The starting years were dominated by the research on the new element radium. Meyer was able to organize the production of 4 gram radium, as recommended in 1901 by the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The chemical plant of Carl Auer von Welsbach, which was used to produce rare earth elements, provided the necessary technical equipment and knowledge required for separation of small quantities of material from ore. This relative large amount made it possible for Otto Hönigschmid to determine the molecular mass of radium using 1.5 g of radium bromide.

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