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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Carl Auer von Welsbach | 2/2 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Auer_von_Welsbach | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T17:26:56.964487+00:00 | kb-cron |
=== Metal-filament light bulb === Auer von Welsbach then started work on development of metal-filament mantles, first with platinum wiring, and then osmium. Osmium is very difficult to work with, but he developed a new method, which mixed osmium oxide powder with rubber or sugar into a paste, which is then squeezed through a nozzle and fired. The paste burns away, leaving a fine wire of osmium. Although originally intended to be a new mantle, it was during this period that electricity was being introduced into the market, and he started experimenting with ways to use the filaments as a replacement for the electric arc light. He worked on this until finally developing a workable technique in 1898 and started a new factory to produce his Auer-Oslight, which he introduced commercially in 1902. The metal-filament light bulb was a huge improvement on the existing carbon-filament designs, lasting much longer, using about half the electricity for the same amount of light, and being much more robust.
=== Lighting flint === In 1903 Auer von Welsbach won another patent for a fire striker ("flint") composition named ferrocerium. It takes its name from its two primary components: iron (from Latin: ferrum), and the rare-earth element cerium. It is also known in Europe as "Auermetall" after its inventor. Three different Auermetalls were developed: the first was iron and cerium, the second also included lanthanum to produce brighter sparks, and the third added other heavy metals. In Auer von Welsbach's first alloy, 30% iron (ferrum) was added to purified cerium, hence the name "ferro-cerium".
Welsbach's flints consisted of pyrophoric alloys, 70% cerium and 30% iron, which when scratched or struck would give off sparks. This system remains in wide use in cigarette lighters today. In 1907 he formed Treibacher Chemische Werke GesmbH to build and market the devices.
== Radium research == For the rest of his life Auer von Welsbach turned again to "pure" chemistry. He worked largely on his estate at Welsbach Castle (Schloß Welsbach) near Treibach near Althofen. In addition to his work on elements and minerals, he made advances in the development of photographic techniques. He was also a devoted gardener, carefully supporting rare and difficult-to-grow plants in his garden, and breeding new varieties of roses and apple trees. He published a number of papers on chemical separation and spectroscopy, working on radioactive elements as early as 1904. In 1910, one of his companies helped to establish Vienna as a center of radiation research by producing the first major quantity of radium chloride (3-4 grams) in Europe. In 1910, Auer von Welsbach reported a "mysterious observation", the induction of radioactivity in an inactive substance when exposed to a radioactive substance. Based on his report, it is possible that he may have been the first to observe neutron activation. Between 1907 and 1918, Auer von Welsbach focused on isolating preparations of actinium and thorium as by-products of radium extraction. He kept up an active correspondence with physicist Stefan Meyer, managing director of the Institute for Radium Research, Vienna, to discuss the extraction of actinium. Meyer and his staff do not appear to have had the chemical knowledge to understand Auer von Welsbach's methods, and Auer von Welsbach resigned around 1917. During World War I, he had difficulty finding staff to carry out research. After the war, he was active in supporting the work of the institute, and other scientists. He presented a major paper on his spectroscopic work and the separation of radioactive elements in 1922. The following photographs show scientific equipment from Auer von Welsbach's laboratory, from "Spektroskopische Methoden der analytischen Chemie" (1922).
== Commemoration ==
In 2008 (150 years after his birth), Auer von Welsbach was selected as a main motif for a high-value collectors' coin: the Austrian €25 Fascination Light. The reverse has a partial portrait of Auer on the left-hand side. The sun shines in the middle of the green niobium pill, while several methods of illumination from the gas light from incandescent light bulbs and neon lamps to modern light-emitting diodes spread out around the silver ring. He was also depicted on postage stamps of 1936, 1954 and 2012.
== Awards and honors == 1900, Elliott Cresson Medal, The Franklin Institute Awards, Philadelphia, PA, USA 1901, raised to the hereditary nobility by Franz Joseph I of Austria, with the title of Freiherr Auer von Welsbach 1920, Werner von Siemens Ring 1921, Wilhelm Exner Medal, inaugural awardee, Austrian Industry Association, Austria 1988, the Welsbach Museum at Althofen was opened in April, 1998 2011, National Inventors Hall of Fame, North Canton, Ohio, USA
== See also == Auergesellschaft Auerlite
== References ==
== External links ==
Auer von Welsbach Museum — biography Newspaper clippings about Carl Auer von Welsbach in the 20th Century Press Archives of the ZBW