Hans Goldschmidt

Hans Goldschmidt
Hans Goldschmidt
Born	Johannes Wilhelm Goldschmidt; 18 January 1861; Berlin, Kingdom of Prussia
Died	21 May 1923 (aged 62); Baden-Baden, Republic of Baden
Nationality	German
Alma mater	University of Berlin
Known for	Thermite reaction
Awards	Elliott Cresson Medal (1904)
	Scientific career
Doctoral advisor	Robert Bunsen
Signature

Johannes Wilhelm "Hans" Goldschmidt (18 January 1861 – 21 May 1923) was a German chemist notable as the discoverer of the Thermite reaction. He was also co-owner of the Chemische Fabrik Th. Goldschmidt, as of 1911 Th. Goldschmidt AG (later to become part of Evonik Industries) and its most important chemist.^[1] The reaction, also called the Goldschmidt process, is used for thermite welding, often used to join railway tracks. Thermites have also been used in metal refining, disabling munitions, and in incendiary weapons. Some thermite-like mixtures are used as pyrotechnic initiators in fireworks.

His grave is preserved in the Protestant Friedhof I der Jerusalems- und Neuen Kirchengemeinde (Cemetery No. I of the congregations of Jerusalem's Church and New Church) in Berlin-Kreuzberg, south of Hallesches Tor.

Biography

He was born in Berlin on 18 January 1861. He was a student of Robert Bunsen. His father, Theodor Goldschmidt, was the founder of the chemical company Chemische Fabrik Th. Goldschmidt which eventually became part of the modern company Degussa, and Hans and his brother Karl Hering managed this company for many years.^[2]^[3]

He is principally noted as the co-inventor of sodium amalgam and the initial patent holder of the thermite reaction.^[4] The thermite (or aluminothermic) reaction is one in which aluminium is oxidized by an oxide of another metal, usually iron oxide, producing great heat in the process. Goldschmidt was originally interested in producing very pure metals by avoiding the use of carbon in smelting, but he soon realized the value in welding, a process known as thermic welding. It is also used in incendiary devices. This process is sometimes called the "Goldschmidt reaction" or "Goldschmidt process", because he furthered its development and patented it in 1895.^[4]^[5] He also went on to publish an extensive paper on it in 1898.^[6]^[7]^[8]^[9]

He died on 21 May 1923.

Legacy

His grave is preserved in the Protestant Friedhof I der Jerusalems- und Neuen Kirchengemeinde (Cemetery No. I of the congregations of Jerusalem's Church and New Church) in Berlin-Kreuzberg, south of Hallesches Tor.

References

^ Evonik Industries
^ "Obituary: Hans Goldschmidt". Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft. 56 (8): A77 – A79. 1923. doi:10.1002/cber.19230560867.
^ History of the "Th. Goldschmidt AG" company: http://history.evonik.com/sites/geschichte/en/chemicals/history/goldschmidt/pages/default.aspx Archived 2020-08-08 at the Wayback Machine .
^ ^a ^b 'U. S. patent to Hans Goldschmidt, No. 578,868. In this patent the patentee acknowledges that the alumino-thermic reaction was well known and had been used previously for producing metals and alloys.'
^ H. Goldschmidt, "Verfahren zur Herstellung von Metallen oder Metalloiden oder Legierungen derselben" (Process for the production of metals or metalloids or alloys of the same), Deutsche Reichs Patent no. 96317 (13 March 1895).
^ Goldschmidt, Hans; Ruhr, Essen a. d. (1898). "Über ein neues Verfahren zur Darstellung von Metallen und Legirungen mittelst Aluminiums [On a new method for the preparation of metals and alloys by means of aluminium]". Justus Liebigs Annalen der Chemie. 301 (1): 19–28. doi:10.1002/jlac.18983010103.
^ Goldschmidt, Dr. Hans; Vautin, Claude (1898-06-30). "Aluminium as a Heating and Reducing Agent" (PDF). Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry. 6 (17): 543–545. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2011-07-15. Retrieved 2011-10-12.
^ Goldschmidt, H., "Über ein neues Verfahren zur Erzeugung von hohen Temperaturen und zur Darstellung von schwer schmelzbaren kohlefreien Metallen" (On a new method for the production of high temperatures and for the preparation of refractory carbon-free metals), Zeitschrift für Elektrochemie, vol. 4, pages 494–499 (1898)
^ Goldschmidt, H., "Verfahren zur Erzeugung hoher Temperaturen" (Method for the production of high temperatures), Zeitschrift für Elektrochemie, vol. 6, pages 53–57 (1899).