Carl Remigius Fresenius

Carl Remigius Fresenius ( born December 28, 1818 in Frankfurt am Main, † June 11, 1897 in Wiesbaden ) was a German analytical chemist, Privy Councillor and founder and director of the chemical laboratory at Wiesbaden (now SGS Institut Fresenius ).

Life

Carl R. Fresenius was born in 1818 as the son of the lawyer Dr. Jacob Samuel Heinrich Fresenius in Frankfurt am Main. After his schooling at Bender 's institute to Weinheim and at the high school to Frankfurt, he began an apprenticeship in 1836 in the Stein's pharmacy in Frankfurt. In his apprenticeship, he attended lectures by Rudolf Böttger in chemistry and physics at the Physics Club. Because of his great interest for analytical chemistry, he taught in the garden house of his father own a small laboratory.

Already in the second semester of his studies in chemistry at the University of Bonn in 1841, he wrote his seminal work instructions for the quantitative chemical analysis, which experienced 17 runs. After his decision to devote himself to chemistry, he went to what was then the center of the chemistry in Giessen Justus Liebig to whose private assistant he was from April 1842 to the autumn of 1845. The 2nd edition of the guide to qualitative chemical analysis contained a laudatory preface Liebig, who introduced it as a textbook in his laboratory. In recognition of this work doctorate him the philosophical faculty in 1842 to the doctor. 1843 Fresenius habilitated as Privatdozent with a thesis on the safe determination of arsenic, lead him to a reputation as a professor of chemistry, physics, and technology to the Duke of Nassau Agricultural Institute in the yard Geisberg near Wiesbaden in September 1845.

In the spring of 1848 he opened along the lines of Justus von Liebig his chemical laboratory in a house he bought, which later expanded to several departments and was expanded to academy. At this chemical laboratory Fresenius Wiesbaden chemistry and taught since 1862 as part of the educational institution also Pharmaceutischen pharmacy and since 1868 agricultural chemistry and ecology. Since 1862, Fresenius editor was the Journal of Analytical Chemistry. In 1873 he published his book History of the chemical laboratory at Wiesbaden.

Due to its pedagogical talent, he coined a large circle of students and his sons Heinrich (actually: Remigius Heinrich) and Theodor Wilhelm, who continued his laboratory after his death. Subsequently, the Fresenius Institute by his grandchildren Remigius Fresenius (1878-1949) and Ludwig was conducted. Fresenius was buried in Wiesbaden at the old cemetery.

Fields of activity

• Mineral analyzes
• Investigation of fruit plants, musts and wines

Honors

In 1899 he was made an honorary member of the Nassau Association for Natural History.

The Berlin sculptor Charles Reinert created a monument with the bust Fresenius ' from Carrara marble, which was situated in a green area at the Freseniusstraße in Wiesbaden in 1904. The inscription on the front of the base " Remigius / Fresenius " refers to the sitter.

The German Chemical Society recorded in 2013, founded by Carl Remigius Fresenius in 1848 chemical laboratory Fresenius as " Historic site of chemistry " and paid tribute to the beginnings of analytical chemistry.

Political career

Fresenius was a member of the Nassau Chamber of Deputies, a member of the local parliament for the district of Wiesbaden, the County Council for the Province of Hesse -Nassau, Chairman of the Wiesbaden city council. Because of his service to the city, he was also an honorary citizen of Wiesbaden.