Welsbach, Carl Auer, Freiherr von

Welsbach, Carl Auer, Freiherr von

▪ Austrian chemist and engineer
(baron of)
born Sept. 1, 1858, Vienna
died Aug. 4, 1929, Treibach, Austria

      Austrian chemist and engineer who invented the gas mantle, thus allowing the greatly increased output of light by gas lamps.

      In 1885 Welsbach discovered and isolated the elements neodymium and praseodymium from a mixture called didymium, which was previously considered an element. His interest in rare-earth elements (rare-earth element) continued, and he found that a fabric impregnated with a mixture of thorium nitrate and cerium nitrate could be made into a mantle that glowed brightly when heated by a gas flame. Patented in 1885, the Welsbach mantle greatly improved gas lighting and, although largely supplanted by the incandescent lamp, is still widely used in kerosene and other lanterns.

      In 1898 Welsbach introduced the first metallic filament (filament lamp) for incandescent lamps. Although the osmium he used was too rare for general use, his improvement paved the way for the tungsten filament and the modern light bulb.

      Welsbach also developed misch metal, a mixture of cerium and other rare earths, which he combined with iron to make Auer's metal, the first improvement over flint and steel for making sparks since ancient times. It is used in cigarette lighters and in strikers for lighting gas jets.

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Universalium. 2010.

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