Augustin Gottfried Ludwig Lentin
Encyclopedia
Augustin Gottfried Ludwig Lentin (1764–1823) was a German
chemist
. He was a lecturer at the University of Göttingen and subsequently inspector of saltworks, and a writer and translator of works on chemistry and metallurgy
.
, Lower Saxony, Germany on 4 January 1764, the son of Lebrecht Friedrich Benjamin Lentin (1736–1804), physician and prolific writer on medical topics.He took the degree of Ph.D. at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen and acted as private lecturer in the same university from 1795 to 1801 where he gave courses on technical chemistry and 'practical economic chemistry'. During this period he translated from English a number of recent publications on chemistry including works by Elizabeth Fulhame
, Richard Kirwan
and James Keir
, and published several books and papers himself on chemical and mining matters.
where he took a particular interest in the copper
industry. He spent some time at Parys Mountain
on Anglesey
, a major source of copper ore during the second half of the 18th century, and also at the works at Ravenhead
and Stanley, both near St Helens, Merseyside
, where ore from Parys Mountain was smelted
. His findings were described in a publication that appeared in 1800 under the title Briefe über die Insel Anglesea : vorzüglich über das dasige Kupfer-Bergwerk und die dazu gehörigen Schmelzwerke und Fabriken (Leipzig : Crusius, 1800). His style has been described as 'cumbersome and pedantic' but his work still represents a useful source for the historians of technology and in particular of the mining and smelting of copper. An English translation appeared in 2007.
The frequent papers and translations of the 1790s ceased after 1801 following Lentin's appointment as clerk at a saltworks in Rothenfelde
, and subsequently in 1817 as salt inspector at Sülbeck and Salzderhelden in the kingdom of Hanover
. He also made experiments on the roasting and smelting of ores at Rammelsberg in a large furnace.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
chemist
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
. He was a lecturer at the University of Göttingen and subsequently inspector of saltworks, and a writer and translator of works on chemistry and metallurgy
Metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their intermetallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are called alloys. It is also the technology of metals: the way in which science is applied to their practical use...
.
Early life and education
Lentin was born in DannenbergDannenberg
- Places :* Dannenberg , a town in Germany* County of Dannenberg, a medieval fief founded by Henry the Lion- People :* Konrad Dannenberg, German-American engineer* Peter A Dannenberg, Russian general...
, Lower Saxony, Germany on 4 January 1764, the son of Lebrecht Friedrich Benjamin Lentin (1736–1804), physician and prolific writer on medical topics.He took the degree of Ph.D. at Georg-August-Universität Göttingen and acted as private lecturer in the same university from 1795 to 1801 where he gave courses on technical chemistry and 'practical economic chemistry'. During this period he translated from English a number of recent publications on chemistry including works by Elizabeth Fulhame
Elizabeth Fulhame
Elizabeth Fulhame was a British, specifically Scottish, chemist perhaps best known for her 1794 work An Essay on Combustion. The book details her experiments on oxidation-reduction reactions and catalysis. As the title implies it also concerned theories on combustion. The book is seen by some as a...
, Richard Kirwan
Richard Kirwan
Richard Kirwan FRS was an Irish scientist. He is remembered today, if at all, for being one of the last supporters of the theory of phlogiston. Kirwan was active in the fields of chemistry, meteorology, and geology...
and James Keir
James Keir
James Keir FRS was a Scottish chemist, geologist, industrialist, and inventor, and an important member of the Lunar Society of Birmingham.- Life and work :...
, and published several books and papers himself on chemical and mining matters.
Metallurgy
During this period he visited WalesWales
Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
where he took a particular interest in the copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
industry. He spent some time at Parys Mountain
Parys Mountain
Parys Mountain – in the Welsh language Mynydd Parys – is located south of the town of Amlwch in north east Anglesey, Wales. It is the site of a large copper mine that was extensively exploited in the late 18th century.-History:...
on Anglesey
Anglesey
Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
, a major source of copper ore during the second half of the 18th century, and also at the works at Ravenhead
Ravenhead
Ravenhead is an area of St Helens in the North West of England. It is bordered by Thatto Heath, Sutton Heath, Eccleston and the Town Centre. The area is thought to take its name from a farm once located nearby , while the 'head' portion of the name represents its location at one of the higher...
and Stanley, both near St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens, Merseyside
St Helens is a large town in Merseyside, England. It is the largest settlement and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens with a population of just over 100,000, part of an urban area with a total population of 176,843 at the time of the 2001 Census...
, where ore from Parys Mountain was smelted
Smelting
Smelting is a form of extractive metallurgy; its main use is to produce a metal from its ore. This includes iron extraction from iron ore, and copper extraction and other base metals from their ores...
. His findings were described in a publication that appeared in 1800 under the title Briefe über die Insel Anglesea : vorzüglich über das dasige Kupfer-Bergwerk und die dazu gehörigen Schmelzwerke und Fabriken (Leipzig : Crusius, 1800). His style has been described as 'cumbersome and pedantic' but his work still represents a useful source for the historians of technology and in particular of the mining and smelting of copper. An English translation appeared in 2007.
The frequent papers and translations of the 1790s ceased after 1801 following Lentin's appointment as clerk at a saltworks in Rothenfelde
Bad Rothenfelde
Bad Rothenfelde is a municipality and health resort in the district of Osnabrück, in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is situated in the Teutoburg Forest, approx. 20 km southeast of Osnabrück, between Hilter and Dissen. Bad Rothenfelde has a spa, hospital, clothes shops and many cafés....
, and subsequently in 1817 as salt inspector at Sülbeck and Salzderhelden in the kingdom of Hanover
Hanover
Hanover or Hannover, on the river Leine, is the capital of the federal state of Lower Saxony , Germany and was once by personal union the family seat of the Hanoverian Kings of Great Britain, under their title as the dukes of Brunswick-Lüneburg...
. He also made experiments on the roasting and smelting of ores at Rammelsberg in a large furnace.
Original works
- Ueber das Verhalten der Metalle wenn sie in dephlogistisirter Luft der Wirkung des Feuers ausgesezt werden (1795)
- Taschenbuch für Freunde der Gebirgskunde (1798)
- Etwas über den Prozess der Destillation nebst einer Anzeige seiner Vorlesungen (1799)
- Contributions to Allgemeines Journal der Chemie, Bd 3 (1799)
- Briefe über die Insel Anglesea : vorzüglich über das dasige Kupfer-Bergwerk und die dazu gehörigen Schmelzwerke und Fabriken (Leipzig : 1800)
- 'Nachricht von dem Kupferbergwerke auf der Insel Anglesea und den damit in Verbindung stehenden Schmelzhütten und Fabriken' (in Magazin der Handels- und Gewerbskunde, 1804)
Translations
- Versuche und Beobachtungen über die Auflösung der Metalle in Säuren und ihre Niederschlagungen … (1791) (Translation of: James Keir, Experiments and observations on the dissolution of metals in acids; and their precipitations (1790)
- Versuche über die Wiederherstellung der Metalle durch Wasserstoffgas, Phosphor, Schwesel, Schweselleber, geschweseltes Wasserstoffgas, gephosphorte Wasserstoffgas, Kohle, Licht und Sauren (1795) (Translation of: Elizabeth Fulhame, An essay on combustion with a view to a new art of dying and painting wherein the phlogistic and antiphlogistic hypotheses are proved erroneous (1794)
- Beantwortung der Fragen: Welches sind die paßlichsten Düngmittel für die verschiedenen Arten von Boden … (1796) (Translation of : Richard Kirwan, Essay in answer to the following question proposed by the Royal Irish Academy, what are the manures most advantageously applicable to the various sorts of soils and what are the causes of their beneficial effect in each particular instance? (1795)
- Geschichte des Feldzuges von 1796 in Deutschland und Italien (1798) (Translation of : The history of the campaign of 1796 in Germany and Italy (1796) (attributed to Thomas Graham)