Fritz Feigl (; 15 May 1891 – 23 January 1971) was a Jewish

Austria Austria, formally the Republic of Austria, is a landlocked country in Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine Federal states of Austria, states, of which the capital Vienna is the List of largest cities in Aust ...

n-born

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

. He taught at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Biography

Feigl was born and studied in

Vienna Vienna ( ; ; ) is the capital city, capital, List of largest cities in Austria, most populous city, and one of Federal states of Austria, nine federal states of Austria. It is Austria's primate city, with just over two million inhabitants. ...

, but owing to his military service in the First World War he had to interrupt his studies. He received his Ph.D. for work with Wilhelm Schlenk in 1920. After his habilitation in 1928 he became a professor at the

University of Vienna The University of Vienna (, ) is a public university, public research university in Vienna, Austria. Founded by Rudolf IV, Duke of Austria, Duke Rudolph IV in 1365, it is the oldest university in the German-speaking world and among the largest ...

. He was forced to retire after the Nazi occupation of Austria in 1938. Feigl was able to get to Belgium and work there. After the occupation of Belgium he was imprisoned in a concentration camp, but was able to reach Portugal and from there Brazil in 1940. He worked at the

University of Rio de Janeiro The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (, UFRJ) is a public research university in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is the largest federal university in the country and is one of the Brazilian centers of excellence in teaching and research. Brazil's ...

and became a Brazilian citizen in 1944.

Contributions

Fritz Feigl is the creator of "

spot analysis Spot analysis, spot test analysis, or a spot test is a chemical test, a simple and efficient technique where analytic assays are executed in only one, or a few drops, of a chemical solution, preferably in a great piece of filter paper, without usin ...

" (

spot test Spot analysis, spot test analysis, or a spot test is a chemical test, a simple and efficient technique where analytic assays are executed in only one, or a few drops, of a chemical solution, preferably in a great piece of filter paper, without usin ...

), a simple and efficient technique where analytic assays are executed in only one, or a few drops, of a chemical solution, preferably in a great piece of filter paper, without using any sophisticated instrumentation. A notable example he developed was a simple test to know if fishes eaten by Amazon population are contaminated by lead. Poor populations by the Amazon rivers were taught to easily use that technique to find out contaminated fishes and discharge them. On the occasion of Feigl's 70th birthday the Chemical Society of Midland sponsored a symposium in 1962, attended by 500 scientists from 24 countries, in which all plenary sessions were related on spot tests. A less known contribution is the development of "

luminol Luminol (C8H7N3O2) is a chemical that exhibits chemiluminescence, with a blue glow, when mixed with an appropriate oxidizing agent. Luminol is a white-to-pale-yellow Crystal, crystalline solid that is soluble in most polar organic solvents but ...

", a substance used by forensic investigators to detect the presence of blood, even if the scene has been washed and cleaned.

Literary works

* ''Qualitative Analyse mit Hilfe von Tüpfelreaktionen'', 1931 * ''Chemistry of specific, selective and sensitive reactions'', 1949 * ''Spot tests in inorganic analysis'', 1958 * ''Spot tests in organic analysis'', 1966

Decorations and awards

* 1931:

Fritz Pregl Prize Fritz Pregl Prize has been awarded annually since 1931, to an Austrian scientist for distinguished achievements in chemistry by the Austrian Academy of Sciences (''Österreichische Akademie der Wissenschaften'') from the funds left at its disposal ...

* 1951:

Weizmann Prize for Research in the Exact Sciences Weizmann or Weizman is a surname. Notable people with this surname include: * Chaim Weizmann, a chemist, statesman, President of the World Zionist Organization, first President of Israel and founder of a research institute in Israel which eventually ...

* 1956: Honorary doctorate,

University of São Paulo The Universidade de São Paulo (, USP) is a public research university in the Brazilian state of São Paulo, and the largest public university in Brazil. The university was founded on 25 January 1934, regrouping already existing schools in ...

* 1957:

Wilhelm Exner Medal The Wilhelm Exner Medal has been awarded by the Austrian Industry Association, (ÖGV), for excellence in research and science since 1921. The medal is dedicated to Wilhelm Exner (1840–1931), former president of the Association, who initialize ...

* 1961:

Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science and Art" was established by the National Co ...

Fritz Feigl Prizes

*The

Fritz Feigl Prize The Fritz Feigl Prize () by the Austrian Society of Analytical Chemistry (ASAC) is named after Fritz Feigl.Austrian Society of Analytical Chemistry Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ** Austria-Hungary ** Austria ...

(ASAC), since 1950. *In Brazil, since 1996 by the CRQ-IV (4th Regional Chemical Association) the Friz-Feigl Prize tendered (Prêmio Fritz Feigl) to reward and encourage chemists. The winners receive a certificate, a medal and a prize (in 2005 it was 12,000 euros).

External links

* Weintraub, B. (2005)

, ''Chemistry in Israel'', Bull. Isr. Chem. Soc., Issue 10, December 2005. p 42–46.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Feigl, Fritz 1891 births 1971 deaths Austrian chemists Emigrants from Austria-Hungary to Brazil Jews from Austria-Hungary Brazilian chemists Brazilian people of Austrian-Jewish descent Austrian Jews Brazilian Jews Naturalized citizens of Brazil Scientists from Rio de Janeiro (city) Scientists from Vienna Academic staff of the University of Vienna Academic staff of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro Recipients of the Austrian Cross of Honour for Science and Art Weizmann Prize recipients