Hermann Franz Moritz Kopp facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Hermann Franz Moritz Kopp
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Hermann Franz Moritz Kopp
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| Born | 30 October 1817 Hanau, Hesse-Kassel, Germany
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| Died | 20 February 1892 (aged 74) Heidelberg, Germany
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| Nationality | German |
| Alma mater | University of Marburg Heidelberg |
| Known for | Boiling points Heat capacities Studies of the history of chemistry |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry History of chemistry |
| Institutions | University of Giessen University of Heidelberg |
| Influences | Liebig |
Hermann Franz Moritz Kopp (born October 30, 1817 – died February 20, 1892) was a German chemist. He was born in Hanau, a town in Germany. His father, Johann Heinrich Kopp, was also a professor. He taught chemistry, physics, and natural history.
Contents
Early Life and Studies
Hermann Kopp went to school in his hometown. Then, he studied at the Marburg and Heidelberg universities. In 1839, he moved to Gießen. He wanted to learn from the famous chemist Justus von Liebig.
Kopp became a teacher of chemistry in Giessen in 1841. He later became a full professor there. In 1864, he moved to Heidelberg University. He taught chemistry there until he passed away.
Important Discoveries in Chemistry
Kopp focused on how the physical properties of substances relate to their chemical makeup. He studied how much space substances take up, called their specific volume. He wrote about this when he was only 22 years old. His ideas helped other scientists understand this topic better.
He also spent a lot of time studying boiling points. He looked at how the boiling point of compounds, especially organic ones, is connected to what they are made of.
Heat Capacity Studies
Kopp also studied something called "heat capacity." He found that the heat capacity of a solid compound is the total of the heat capacities of the elements inside it. This was an important discovery in chemistry.
Writing and Contributions
Besides his research, Kopp was a very busy writer. From 1843 to 1847, he published a large History of Chemistry in four books. He added more parts to it later.
He also wrote The Development of Chemistry in Recent Times. In 1886, he published a two-book work about Alchemy in Ancient and Modern Times. Alchemy was an old practice that tried to turn common metals into gold.
Kopp also wrote about theoretical and physical chemistry. For many years, he helped Liebig edit important chemistry journals. In 1882, he became a member of the American Philosophical Society.
Works
- Beiträge zur Geschichte der Chemie (Contributions to the History of Chemistry)
- Ansichten über die Aufgabe der Chemie und über die Grundbestandtheile der Körper bei den bedeutenden Chemikern von Geber bis G. E. Stahl : die Entdeckung der Zusammensetzung des Wassers (Views on the Task of Chemistry and the Basic Components of Bodies by Important Chemists from Geber to G. E. Stahl: The Discovery of the Composition of Water)
- Die Alchemie in älterer und neuerer Zeit : ein Beitrag zur Culturgeschichte (Alchemy in Ancient and Modern Times: A Contribution to Cultural History)
See also
- Kopp's Law
