Viktor von Lang (2 March 1838 – 3 July 1921) was an Austrian

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

. He is counted among the pioneers and founders of

crystal physics Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state physics studies how the l ...

Career

Lang earned his doctorate from the

University of Giessen University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (german: Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is named after its most famous faculty member, Justus von L ...

in 1859 with a thesis titled "Physikalische Verhältnisse kristallisierter Körper". From 1865 to 1909, Lang served as director of the ''Physikalisches Kabinett'' in

Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...

. His book on introductory

theoretical physics Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...

, ''Einleitung in die theoretische physik'', was published in eight editions from 1867 to 1891. With crystallographer

Wilhelm Josef Grailich Wilhelm Joseph Grailich (16 February 1829, in Pressburg – 13 September 1859, in Vienna) was an Austrian physicist, mineralogist and crystallographer. Education From 1847, Grailich studied sciences at the polytechnic institute in Vienna. Car ...

, he was co-author of ''Untersuchungen über die Physikalischen Verhältnisse Krystallisirter Körper'' ("Investigations into the physical conditions of crystallized bodies"). The mineral

langite Langite is a rare hydrated copper sulfate mineral, with hydroxyl, found almost exclusively in druses of small crystals. It is formed from the oxidation of copper sulfides, and was first described in specimens from Cornwall, United Kingdom. It i ...

was named in his honor by

Nevil Story Maskelyne Mervyn Herbert Nevil Story Maskelyne (3 September 1823 – 20 May 1911) was an English geologist and politician. Scientific career Educated at Wadham College, Oxford, Maskelyne taught mineralogy and chemistry at Oxford from 1851, before becomin ...

.A Handbook to a Collection of the Minerals of the British Islands
by the Museum of Practical Geology (Great Britain), Frederick William Rudler

References

External links

* 1838 births 1921 deaths Austrian chemists {{chemist-stub