Ernst Otto Beckmann facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ernst Otto Beckmann
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Beckmann in 1918
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| Born | July 4, 1853 |
| Died | July 12, 1923 (aged 70) Dahlem, Germany
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| Known for | Beckmann rearrangement Beckmann thermometer |
| Scientific career | |
| Doctoral advisor | Hermann Kolbe |
Ernst Otto Beckmann (born July 4, 1853 – died July 12, 1923) was a German pharmacist and chemist. He is famous for two important inventions. He created the Beckmann thermometer, which measures tiny temperature changes. He also discovered the Beckmann rearrangement, a special chemical reaction.
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Ernst Beckmann's Early Life and Studies
Ernst Otto Beckmann was born in Solingen, Germany, on July 4, 1853. His father, Johannes Friedrich Wilhelm Beckmann, owned a factory. This factory made things like mineral dyes and polishing materials. Young Ernst did his first chemistry experiments right there.
When he was 17, his father wanted him to study pharmacy. So, in 1870, Ernst started an apprenticeship in Elberfeld. He didn't like the work at first and went home. But his father told him that a chemistry career would be hard if he couldn't handle pharmacy. So, Ernst went back and finished his training. He also worked in pharmacies in other cities.
Becoming a Chemist
To learn more, Beckmann joined a school in Wiesbaden in 1874. The next year, he moved to the University of Leipzig. There, he met a famous chemist named Hermann Kolbe. Even though Beckmann wanted to study chemistry, he finished his pharmacy exams in 1877.
After that, he joined Kolbe and his assistant. He started research on how certain chemicals react with oxygen. For this work, Beckmann earned his PhD in July 1878.
Challenges in His Career
After a year of military service as a pharmacist, Beckmann studied toxicology (the study of poisons). He earned a special qualification called a "habilitation" in 1882. He wanted to teach at Leipzig University. However, his qualification from a technical university wasn't enough.
To teach at a regular university, he needed to pass exams in subjects like Latin and Greek. So, Beckmann went back to studying. He passed these important exams in 1883. Then, he could finally work at Leipzig.
In 1884, Professor Kolbe passed away. A new professor, Johannes Wislicenus, took his place. People thought this might be bad for Beckmann's career. But surprisingly, the two chemists became good friends and colleagues.
Key Scientific Discoveries
Ernst Beckmann made two very important discoveries in chemistry. These discoveries are still known by his name today.
The Beckmann Rearrangement
Beckmann was trying to find a way to tell the difference between two types of chemical compounds. These were called aldehydes and ketones. He used a reaction that changed a substance called benzophenone into another called an oxime.
Then, he treated this oxime with another chemical. This changed it into a substance that had already been identified. This special chemical reaction is now called the Beckmann rearrangement. It's a way to change one type of molecule into another.
The Beckmann Thermometer
In 1887, another important chemist, Wilhelm Ostwald, came to Leipzig. Beckmann started working with him on physical chemistry. This area of chemistry looks at the physical properties of substances.
Beckmann used methods to find the molecular weight of substances. These methods involved measuring how much a liquid's boiling point went up or its freezing point went down when something was dissolved in it. These measurements needed very exact temperature differences.
To do this, Beckmann invented a special thermometer. It was designed to measure tiny differences in temperature, not just the exact temperature itself. This thermometer is now called the Beckmann thermometer. His improved methods and equipment became standard in chemistry labs. However, today, electronic tools are often used instead for these measurements.
Other Important Work
While working with Ostwald, Beckmann also made another discovery. He found that sodium and benzophenone react in a dry liquid called ether. This reaction creates a blue solution. This blue color shows that a special kind of molecule, called a ketyl-radical, has formed. Chemists still use this reaction today to check if their solvents are completely dry.
Later Career and Retirement
Beckmann left Leipzig for a year to work at the University of Gießen. Then, he became a professor at the University of Erlangen. But in 1897, he returned to Leipzig for the third time. He became the Director of the Laboratory of Applied Chemistry there.
In 1912, he was asked to lead a new division. This was at the newly created Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry in Berlin. He accepted and moved to Berlin on April 1, 1912. He stayed there until he retired in October 1921. Even after retiring, he was allowed to use a lab at the institute. He continued to work on the Beckmann rearrangement and study the properties of solutions.
Personal Life and Final Years
Ernst Beckmann married Bertha Oertel on March 20, 1887. They had one daughter and two sons.
During the First World War, Beckmann researched lupin beans. He wanted to make them safe for animals to eat. He would taste water from the beans to check if all the bitter, toxic parts were removed. Some people think this practice might have harmed his health. By the time he retired, he was quite ill.
Ernst Beckmann passed away in Berlin on July 12, 1923. He was buried in Dahlem.
See also
- Mass spectrometry
- Beckmann thermometer (from the German Wikipedia)
