Bohuslav Brauner
Encyclopedia
Bohuslav Brauner was a Czech chemist.
Brauner was a student of Robert Bunsen
at the University of Heidelberg and later of Henry Roscoe at the University of Manchester
. Brauner became lecturer for chemistry at the University of Prague
in 1883 and professor in 1890. He worked on the chemistry of the lanthanides, and in 1902 proposed that an element was missing between neodymium
and samarium
; it was later found to be promethium
. Brauner's conflict with Carl Auer von Welsbach
about the priority for the discovery that didymium
is a mixture of two elements (praseodymium and neodymium) was harsh. However, in the end Brauner withdrew his claims for unknown reasons.
Brauner was a student of Robert Bunsen
Robert Bunsen
Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen was a German chemist. He investigated emission spectra of heated elements, and discovered caesium and rubidium with Gustav Kirchhoff. Bunsen developed several gas-analytical methods, was a pioneer in photochemistry, and did early work in the field of organoarsenic...
at the University of Heidelberg and later of Henry Roscoe at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
. Brauner became lecturer for chemistry at the University of Prague
Charles University in Prague
Charles University in Prague is the oldest and largest university in the Czech Republic. Founded in 1348, it was the first university in Central Europe and is also considered the earliest German university...
in 1883 and professor in 1890. He worked on the chemistry of the lanthanides, and in 1902 proposed that an element was missing between neodymium
Neodymium
Neodymium is a chemical element with the symbol Nd and atomic number 60. It is a soft silvery metal that tarnishes in air. Neodymium was discovered in 1885 by the Austrian chemist Carl Auer von Welsbach. It is present in significant quantities in the ore minerals monazite and bastnäsite...
and samarium
Samarium
Samarium is a chemical element with the symbol Sm, atomic number 62 and atomic weight 150.36. It is a moderately hard silvery metal which readily oxidizes in air. Being a typical member of the lanthanide series, samarium usually assumes the oxidation state +3...
; it was later found to be promethium
Promethium
Promethium is a chemical element with the symbol Pm and atomic number 61. It is notable for being the only exclusively radioactive element besides technetium that is followed by chemical elements with stable isotopes.- Prediction :...
. Brauner's conflict with Carl Auer von Welsbach
Carl Auer von Welsbach
Carl Auer Freiherr von Welsbach was an Austrian scientist and inventor who had a talent for not only discovering advances, but turning them into commercially successful products...
about the priority for the discovery that didymium
Didymium
Didymium is a mixture of the elements praseodymium and neodymium. It is used in safety glasses for glassblowing and blacksmithing, especially when a gas powered forge is used, where it provides a filter which selectively blocks the yellowish light at 589 nm emitted by the hot sodium in the glass,...
is a mixture of two elements (praseodymium and neodymium) was harsh. However, in the end Brauner withdrew his claims for unknown reasons.