Johann Friedrich August Breithaupt (May 16, 1791 – September 22, 1873) was a German
mineralogist
Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...
and professor at
Freiberg Mining Academy
The Technische Universität Bergakademie Freiberg (abbreviation: TU Bergakademie Freiberg, TUBAF) is a public university of technology with currently 3655 students in the city of Freiberg, Saxony, Germany. Its focus is on exploration, mining & ...
in
Freiberg, Saxony
Freiberg is a university and former mining town in Saxony, Germany. It is a so-called ''Große Kreisstadt'' (large county town) and the administrative centre of Mittelsachsen district.
Its historic town centre has been placed under heritage c ...
.
Biography
He was born in
Probstzella
Probstzella is a municipality in the district Saalfeld-Rudolstadt, in Thuringia, Germany.
History
Between 1945 and 1990 Probstzella station served as East German inner German border crossing for rail transport. The crossing was open for trains tr ...
. He received his doctorate at the Universities of
Jena
Jena () is a German city and the second largest city in Thuringia. Together with the nearby cities of Erfurt and Weimar, it forms the central metropolitan area of Thuringia with approximately 500,000 inhabitants, while the city itself has a po ...
and
Marburg
Marburg ( or ) is a university town in the German federal state (''Bundesland'') of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf district (''Landkreis''). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has a population of approximat ...
. He studied under
Abraham Gottlob Werner
Abraham Gottlob Werner (; 25 September 174930 June 1817) was a German geologist who set out an early theory about the stratification of the Earth's crust and propounded a history of the Earth that came to be known as Neptunism. While most tene ...
at the Freiberg Mining Academy where he received an appointment in 1813 as teacher and lapidary, and became professor of
mineralogy
Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...
after the departure of
Friedrich Mohs
Carl Friedrich Christian Mohs (; 29 January 1773 – 29 September 1839) was a German chemist and mineralogist. He was the creator of the Mohs scale of mineral hardness. Mohs also introduced a classification of the crystal forms in crystal syst ...
in 1826. He held that position until 1866.
Research
He is credited with the discovery of 47 valid mineral species. The mineral
breithauptite
Breithauptite is a nickel antimonide mineral with the simple formula NiSb. Breithauptite is a metallic opaque copper-red mineral crystallizing in the hexagonal - dihexagonal dipyramidal crystal system. It is typically massive to reniform in habit, ...
was named in his honor. His work included important contributions to
crystallography
Crystallography is the experimental science of determining the arrangement of atoms in crystalline solids. Crystallography is a fundamental subject in the fields of materials science and solid-state physics ( condensed matter physics). The wor ...
and the physical and chemical properties of minerals. He developed the concept of mineral
paragenesis Paragenesis is a petrologic concept meaning an ''equilibrium sequence of mineral phases''. It is used in studies of igneous and metamorphic rock genesis and importantly in studies of the hydrothermal deposition of ore minerals and the rock altera ...
.
Works
His publications include:
*''Ueber die Echtheit der Krystalle'' (1815, on pseudomorphs)
*''Characteristik des Mineral Systems'' (1820; 3d improved ed., 1832)
*''Vollständiges Handbuch der Mineralogie'' (1841)
*''Die Bergstadt Freiberg'' (1825; 2d ed., 1847)
*''Die Paragenesis der Mineralien'' (1849)
Notes
References
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Breithaupt, August
German mineralogists
1791 births
1873 deaths
University of Jena alumni
Scientists from Freiberg