Von Welsbach, Carl Auer
Published: August 18, 2006, 4:19 pm
Updated: August 18, 2006, 4:19 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Peter Saundry
Carl Auer Von Welsbach (1858-1929) was an Austrian chemist and engineer who discovered two rare earth elements, which lead him to invent the incandescent gas mantle. He discovered that a rare earth element, cerium, added as its nitrate salt to a cylindrical fabric impregnated with thorium nitrate, produced a fragile mantle that glowed with white incandescence when heated in a gas flame (patented 1885). This discovery greatly improved the effectiveness of modern liquid fuel lighting. The Welsbach mantle is now used in outdoor and camp lamps. He also developed the metal filament light bulb (1898) that was an improvement on the existing carbon filament designs, lasting much longer and using about 1/2 the electricity for the same amount of light. He also invented what is today known as a "flint"(1903) that remains in wide use in cigarette lighters today.
Further Readings
Auer von Welsbach-Biography (Auer von Welsbach Museum)
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Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Von Welsbach, Carl Auer". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 18, 2006; Last revised Date August 18, 2006; Retrieved June 19, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Von_Welsbach,_Carl_Auer>
The Author
Cutler J. Cleveland is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)
Carl Auer Von Welsbach (1858-1929) was an Austrian chemist and engineer who discovered two rare earth elements, which lead him to invent the incandescent gas mantle. He discovered that a rare earth element, cerium, added as its nitrate salt to a cylindrical fabric impregnated with thorium nitrate, produced a fragile mantle that glowed with white incandescence when heated in a gas flame (patented 1885). This discovery greatly improved the effectiveness of modern liquid fuel lighting. The Welsbach mantle is now used in outdoor and camp lamps. He also developed the metal filament light bulb (1898) that was an improvement on the existing carbon filament designs, lasting much longer and using about 1/2 the electricity for the same amount of light. He also invented what is today known as a "flint"(1903) that remains in wide use in cigarette lighters today.
Further Readings
Auer von Welsbach-Biography (Auer von Welsbach Museum)
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