4th EucheMs chemistry congress

wednesday, 29-Aug 2012
s627
chem. Listy 106, s587–s1425 (2012)
Education and History, Professional chemists Ethics, Employability, labels
History of Chemistry
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the internAtionAL ConGreSS of APPLied
CheMiStry, 1912: different viewS on the roLe
of SCienCe in feedinG worLd PoPuLAtion
M. tAddiA 1
1 University of Bologna, Chemistry “G. Ciamician”, Bologna,
Italy
Two notable events in the history of chemistry happened in
Europe and United States during the year 1912: (a) the foundation
of the International Solvay Institutes for Physics and Chemistry
by Ernest Solvay (Brussels) and (b) the International Congress of
Applied Chemistry that took place in U.S.A. The object of the
Eighth Congress of Applied Chemistry (Washington and New
York, September, 1912) was the advancement of all applications
of chemical science to practical life. This work concerns lectures
delivered by two European chemists: August Bernthsen
(Krefeld, 1855 – Heidelberg, 1931) and Giacomo Ciamician
(Trieste, 1857 – Bologna, 1922). They expressed different points
of view about the role of chemistry in feeding growing world
population. The American press followed the meeting with
interest, stressing differences between the speakers. On September
12, two New York Times headlines drawn the attention of the
reader: Gives Out Secrets of Making Ammonia and Sun To Do
Work of Steam. The speeches by Bernthsten and Ciamician were
the subjects. Speaking about “Synthetic Ammonia”, Bernthsen
(Badische Co.) informed the Congress that problems for the
synthetical manufacture of ammonia from the elements were
solved. BASF promoted the technical work and, in order to meet
the farmers requirements of nitrogen fertilizers, the first factory
for synthetic ammonia was rising at Oppau. Unlike Bernthsen,
Ciamician trusted less to the fulfillement of an happy future in
synthetical discovery than to resupplying the earth with the energy
which it is gradually losing. Ciamician pointed out that coal
deposits were not endless and that people should ask themselves
whether coal was the only energy source that could benefit
civilization. The answer was to be found in the fact that most of
the energy which the earth receives from the sun is wasted.
Ciamician’s lecture “The Photochemistry of the Future” proposed
a change in perspective.
Keywords: History of Science; Photochemistry; Industrial
Chemistry;
History of Chemistry
4 th EucheMs chemistry congress
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euroPeAn ConGreSS? euroPeAn SoCiety? …
And the firSt inStitute of teChnoLoGy
SinCe 1762
d. veLiC 1 , i. herCKo 1 , v. MiLAtA 1 , M. SALiSovA 1
1 Slovak Chemical Society, Associated Universities
The town of Banská Štiavnica (Banska Stiavnica,
Schemnitz, Selmecbánya) was in Middle Ages the main producer
of silver and gold in the Kingdom of Hungary, a part of
Austrian-Hungarien Monarchy, nowadays Slovakia. The place
was called “terra banensium” (the land of miners) as early as in
1156 and gained the status of a royal town in 1238. The town
Banská Štiavnica was a foremost center of innovation in mining
industry, in 1627 gun powder was used here for the first time in a
mine and water reservoirs and channels, known as tajchy, were
designed to drain water from the flooded mines and also to
provide energy for the early industrialization. In 1735, the first
mining school in the Kingdom of Hungary was founded there and
in 1762 the Hofkammer in Vienna, with support from Queen
Maria Theresa, transformed the school into the famous Mining
Academy, establishing the first institute of technology or the first
technical university in the world. Department of chemistry and
mineralogy was formed as the very first one and his head was
Nicolaus Jacquin from Leyden, who joined theory with practice
and lectures were based on his own laboratory experiments.
The school organized in 1786 in Sklene Teplice also the First
International Scientific Congress, where even Lavoisier
participated, who considered Jacquin as the founder of
experimental education in chemistry. At this meeting, the first
International Society “La Société de l Exploration des Mines” was
also established. The most prestigious credit was given to the
Mining Academy by Fourcroy in French National Convent in
1794, appreciating laboratory experiments in chemistry education.
The Mining Academy in Banská Štiavnica became an example
for establishing Parisien Polytechnique and other polytechnics in
Europe and today we are celebrating 250 years of this tradition.
Associated universities:
Miskolci Egyetem Bányamérnöki Kara Miskolci, Hungary
Nyugat-Magyarországi Egyetem Erdmérnöki Kara Sopron,
Hungary Montanuniversität Leoben, Austria
Hornícko-geologická fakulta Technické univerzity Ostrava,
Czech Republic
Fakulta baníctva, ekológie, riadenia a geotechnológií Technickej
univerzity v Košiciach, Košice, Slovakia
Lesnícka fakulta Technickej univerzity vo Zvolene, Zvolen,
Slovakia
AUGUst 26–30, 2012, PrAGUE, cZEcH rEPUbLIc