Johann Friedrich Böttger

Johann Friedrich Böttger (* February 4, 1682 in Schleiz, † March 13, 1719 in Dresden ) was a German scientist and alchemist. He is known primarily for the production of the first European porcelain to him in 1708 with EW succeeded by Tschirnhaus.

Life

After the early death of his father his mother in 1685 Johann Friedrich Tiemann, who was largely responsible for the all-round training Boettgers married. Based on this began in 1696 Böttger an apprenticeship as a pharmacist at the Berlin chemist Friederich anger. During his training, his interest in alchemy was awakened, which he carried secretly in the pharmacy laboratory of his instructor. Contacts with other scholars such as John Kunckle and the adept Lascaris confirmed him in his quest for the philosopher's stone, with the conversion of base metals into noble should be possible.

His instructor was skeptical about these experiments. To convince them, walked Böttger In 1701, during a public demonstration - allegedly - silver coins in gold to. The news of this alchemical masterpiece spread quickly, and various monarchs began to be interested in the man behind the making of gold. Since Böttger lived in Berlin and worked, sat Friedrich I. a bounty on him, which Böttger was able to escape by fleeing to Wittenberg to study medicine. Even Augustus the Strong heard of the young apothecary's apprentice. Between the two monarchs, a dispute which the Saxon- Polish Regent could decide for themselves arose. He let Böttger in Dresden spend in the hope of being able to fill the empty state coffers by the alchemist.

Dresden

Then Böttger was initially provided a laboratory for the production of gold available in Furstenberg 's house in Dresden. 1702 for the first time a contubernium was mentioned as representatives of the governor of Fürstenberg, Gottfried Pabst von Ohain, the brothers Nehmitz, Böttger and Baron von Schenck belonged to pursue mercantilist objectives and advance the making of gold. The naturalist Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus came in 1704 to do likewise and had to take over the closer supervision of Böttger. 1705 was the laying of the experimental work to Meissen on the Albrecht Castle. Here were also made first attempts on ceramic area, initially for the production of crucibles and artificial marble, which was intended for the equipment of the magnificent buildings at the Dresden court. In this work, dark and light masses were processed into marbled boards. The important discovery was made that, although the dark ceramics were sintered dense, the light areas remained porous. First precursors of a red stoneware that led to the invention of the Jaspisporzellans later, have originated in this period under the leadership of Tschirnhaus.

In September 1707, attempts to produce porcelain in Dresden by Böttger and Tschirnhaus were again included in the casemates of the Jungfernbastei in purpose-built laboratory after a wartime forced break at the fortress Königstein. Tschirnhaus had built the research laboratory in 1706, to his plans. Böttger was transferred by royal decree on 12 January 1708 financial management of the porcelain project. The technical management was incumbent continues to Ehrenfried Walther von Tschirnhaus. In addition to the Freiberg Mining and Metallurgy people who each received eight dollars per month, it also Kammerrat Dr. Rath Nehmitz of Tschirnhaus ( 100 thalers ) and Dr. Bartholomew ( 10 thalers ) by the king to " work was ( 150 thalers ) assigned and operation ". Böttger himself was not a prisoner of the king on the payroll. He got 50 dollars for his personal needs. Pabst von Ohain was staying at that time in Freiberg.

The jasper ( Böttger stoneware) and the prototype of the still unglazed white porcelain was developed in Dresden by Böttger, Tschirnhaus and the team in less than four months and in addition set up the earthenware. A test recording provides information on the composition of the first European hard-paste porcelain. It represents the oldest and most important document represents, is detected with the that Böttger after attempts - the first time in a suitable oven - noted on January 15, 1708 a fire log that he in after twelve hours' fire in the afternoon at five clock a white translucent shard form has received little small plates. Thus, the birth of the European hard porcelain is held in place by day and hour. Later, however, detected by signature comparisons show that the protocol is not from Böttger. It was written by Dr. Bartholomew, an employee of Böttger and Tschirnhaus.

However, three months later Tschirnhaus was appointed by the King to the Privy Council and Director of the to be established manufactory, also possessed August the Strong, " ... that we have the Lord of Tschirnhausen 2561 dollars cash out ... " Tschirnhaus asked the title after starting the production allowed to perform. He died during further trials in October 1708, and was thus able to develop the finished porcelain and the start of operations of the Meissen porcelain factory not live to see. After Tschirnhaus ' death had Böttger, as the second crucial step to full porcelain, develop the right glaze. On March 28, 1709 announced the invention in a memorandum to the King. In it resisted the twenty-nine against slander the court:

"But I am frightened but when I Bedencke that such a long time I am in a constant misfortune, Ew. Mayst. but always in defense forming patience has preserved ... But whether been the eight-year loss of my liberty so obtaining that I as a human being had niemahls Uhrsache Sadly to be, I überlaße the highest luminous Nachdencken of Ew. Royal. Mayst. and a silent and candid judgment of the whole world ... Because there are some people who put me readily nachdencken under the number of such Leuthe, maintain their arts only in unnüzbaren subtleties, but not in the real domain knowledge managed to pass ... But that the elapsed time by the izige may be melioriret back to Happen: How I make bold me hereby Allerunterthänigkeit Ew. Mayst. Humbly to ask a commission obligated to let niedersezen, which may investigate my percipient knowledge managed thoroughly whether nehmlich same Dero landing Being nüzlich and necessary or keeping harmful and inpracticabel. "

An audit commission appointed did not recognize the invention to initially. It was only on 23 January 1710, the founding of the first porcelain manufactory in Europe was proclaimed and established on 6 June 1710 in the Albrecht Castle Meissen. Böttger is her first administrator.

On April 19, 1714 Böttger was released from prison by then -lasting. In order to protect the secret of porcelain production, however, he was still bound to Saxony. He took on the insistence of August the Strong the work on gold production again. On March 13, 1719, he died as a result of his experiments contain toxic substances in Dresden and was buried on the Johanniskirchhof. His grave is not obtained.

Justus Liebig commented on 1844 in its Chemical letters:

"Among the alchemists always was a real nuclear scientist ... What Glauber, Böttger, Kunckle contributed in this direction can be boldly made ​​the greatest discoveries of our century to the side. "

1727 held by the French naturalist René- Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur in Paris a paper on the production of European porcelain and inscribed v. Tschirnhaus as the porcelain inventor: " The Academy has one of its members, Mr. Tschirnhausen had, which is the Arcanum of Porcellaines which See the after is precisely the same, is made ​​in Saxony, invented ... "