Christian Samuel Weiss (26 February 1780 – 1 October 1856) was a German

mineralogist Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...

born in

Leipzig Leipzig (, ; ; Upper Saxon: ; ) is the most populous city in the States of Germany, German state of Saxony. The city has a population of 628,718 inhabitants as of 2023. It is the List of cities in Germany by population, eighth-largest city in Ge ...

. Following graduation, he worked as a

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

instructor in Leipzig from 1803 until 1808. and in the meantime, conducted geological studies of mountain formations in

Tyrol Tyrol ( ; historically the Tyrole; ; ) is a historical region in the Alps of Northern Italy and western Austria. The area was historically the core of the County of Tyrol, part of the Holy Roman Empire, Austrian Empire and Austria-Hungary, f ...

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and

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

(1806–08).Christian Samuel Weiss — Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin
biographical information In 1810 he became a professor of

mineralogy Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical mineralogy, optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifact (archaeology), artifacts. Specific s ...

at the

University of Berlin The Humboldt University of Berlin (, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin, Germany. The university was established by Frederick William III on the initiative of Wilhelm von Humbol ...

, where in 1818/19 and 1832/33, he served as university rector. He died near

Eger Eger ( , ; ; also known by other #Names and etymology, alternative names) is the county seat of Heves County, and the second largest city in Northern Hungary (after Miskolc). A city with county rights, Eger is best known for Castle of Eger, its ...

Bohemia Bohemia ( ; ; ) is the westernmost and largest historical region of the Czech Republic. In a narrow, geographic sense, it roughly encompasses the territories of present-day Czechia that fall within the Elbe River's drainage basin, but historic ...

. Weiss is credited for creating parameters of modern

crystallography Crystallography is the branch of science devoted to the study of molecular and crystalline structure and properties. The word ''crystallography'' is derived from the Ancient Greek word (; "clear ice, rock-crystal"), and (; "to write"). In J ...

, and was instrumental in making it a branch of mathematical science. He stressed the significance of direction in crystals, considering crystallographic

axes Axes, plural of ''axe'' and of ''axis'', may refer to * ''Axes'' (album), a 2005 rock album by the British band Electrelane * a possibly still empty plot (graphics) See also * Axis (disambiguation) An axis (: axes) may refer to: Mathematics ...

to be a possible basis for classification of crystals. He is credited for introducing the categorization schema of

crystal system In crystallography, a crystal system is a set of point groups (a group of geometric symmetries with at least one fixed point). A lattice system is a set of Bravais lattices (an infinite array of discrete points). Space groups (symmetry groups ...

s, and has a basic law of crystallography named after him called the "Weiss zone law". Weiss Christian Samuel Berlin Naturkundemuseum 2

Works by Weiss that have been translated into English

* "On the methodical and natural distribution of the different systems of crystallisation" Edinburgh : Printed for A. Constable, 1823. * "On the crystallographic discoveries and systems of Mohs and Weiss" (with

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 crysta ...

); Edinburgh : Printed for A. Constable, 1823.WorldCat Identities
Most widely held works by Christian Samuel Weiss

References

* ''Parts of this article are based on a translation of an equivalent article at the

German Wikipedia The German Wikipedia () is the German-language edition of Wikipedia, a free and publicly editable online encyclopedia. Founded on 16 March 2001, it is the second-oldest Wikipedia edition (after the English Wikipedia). It has articles, ma ...

''.
Historical atlas of crystallography
by José Lima-de-Faria, Martin Julian Buerger

External links

University of Cambridge
DoITPoMS Teaching and Learning Packages (Weiss zone law explained) {{DEFAULTSORT:Weiss, Christian Samuel 1780 births 1856 deaths 18th-century German scientists Scientists from Leipzig People from the Electorate of Saxony German mineralogists Leipzig University alumni German crystallographers Science teachers Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)