Julius Lothar Meyer

Julius Lothar Meyer

German chemist
Date of Birth: 19.08.1830
Country: Germany

Content:
  1. Biography of Julius Lothar Meyer
  2. Research in Heidelberg University
  3. Teaching and Professorship
  4. Contributions to Physical Chemistry
  5. Periodic Table
  6. Organic Synthesis and Experimental Chemistry
  7. Awards and Legacy

Biography of Julius Lothar Meyer

Julius Lothar Meyer was a German chemist born on August 19, 1830 in Varel, Oldenburg. He studied at the University of Würzburg, where he obtained a medical degree in 1854.

Research in Heidelberg University

Meyer worked in the laboratory of R. Bunsen at Heidelberg University from 1854 to 1856, where he studied gas exchange in the human body. During his time there, he discovered that oxygen binds with hemoglobin in the blood during respiration, which was a significant contribution to understanding respiratory processes.

Teaching and Professorship

From 1866 to 1870, Meyer taught at the Forestry Academy in Ebersfeld and the Polytechnic School in Karlsruhe. In 1876, he became a professor of chemistry at the University of Tübingen.

Contributions to Physical Chemistry

In 1860, Meyer began to focus on the field of chemistry that later became known as physical chemistry. He is considered one of the founders of this new discipline. His main area of interest was the structure of substances. In 1864, he published the work "Die modernen Theorien der Chemie" (The Modern Theories of Chemistry), which presented the arrangement of elements based on their changing valence. This was an important step in the systematization of elements.

Periodic Table

In 1870, after Dmitri Mendeleev published his work on the correlation of properties of elements with their atomic weights, Meyer presented an article that used the relationship between atomic weights and volumes to systematize elements in the form of a curve. However, Meyer did not propose a method for correcting inaccurately determined atomic weights or predicting undiscovered elements. Therefore, the credit for the discovery of the periodic table is attributed to Mendeleev, not Meyer.

Organic Synthesis and Experimental Chemistry

Another important area of Meyer's scientific work was in the field of organic synthesis, particularly the study of the chlorination reaction of organic compounds. He introduced iodine hydrogen and red phosphorus as reducing agents in the experimental practice of inorganic chemistry.

Awards and Legacy

In 1882, Meyer was awarded the Davy Medal for his contributions to the field of chemistry. He passed away on April 11, 1895 in Tübingen. Julius Lothar Meyer's research and discoveries have left a lasting impact on the understanding of chemical elements and their properties.

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