Georg Krause (chemist)

Georg Krause (born June 21, 1849 in Köthen (Anhalt) ; † March 8, 1927 there ) was a German chemist , founder of the Chemiker-Zeitung and philanthropist.

Life

Georg Krause was the son of the historian Gottlieb Krause , who became known for his numerous publications on Anhalt history. Georg attended high school in Köthen and studied pharmacy and chemistry in Berlin from 1872–74 . 1874-75 he completed an internship as a chemist in the laboratory of the Staßfurt-Leopoldshall potash mine . In July 1875 he received his doctorate from the University of Jena with a dissertation on the occurrence and use of Staßfurtite . He spent the rest of the year in the chemical laboratory of the Clausthal mining academy , where he left at the end of 1875 due to illness.

In 1876 he supported his brother in his bookstore in Wunsiedel , where he acquired his first knowledge of books and publishing. Towards the end of the year he returned to his hometown Köthen and founded his life's work here on January 1, 1877, initially under the title "Allgemeine Chemiker-Zeitung", from 1878 world-famous as the "Chemiker-Zeitung". Within three decades under his direction, the journal developed into one of the renowned chemical journals in which many important discoveries in the field of chemistry were first published.

His central position in chemistry at the time enabled him to create a unique collection of historical photographs and handwritten résumés of more than 300 important chemists from 1881 to 1893, which is now kept in the Deutsches Museum in Munich .

In 1906 he retired into private life and now devoted his considerable fortune to the interests of his hometown. Through numerous philanthropic donations and foundations in and outside the city of Köthen, he earned the respect of his fellow citizens. He supported the municipal beautification association, several churches and the community school for girls. In 1907 he donated the Prince Ludwig Memorial and in 1912 built the “Haus des Dürerbund ” exhibition building , a small cultural center for art exhibitions, lectures and poetry readings, which is now available to the population again after extensive renovations.

"Doctor Krause", as he was commonly called, was a curious, popular personality in his hometown. He died on March 8, 1927 and was buried in the old cemetery in Köthen. The pompous Art Nouveau tomb designed by himself was leveled after 1945.

Honors

• Duke Friedrich I awarded him the Anhalt Order of Merit for Science and Art in 1900 , followed later by the honorary titles of Professor and Councilor
• Dr.-Krause-Strasse in Köthen was named after him during his lifetime

literature

• Deutsches Museum: Chemist album Georg Krause . Munich: Deutsches Museum, undated
• Dr. Frizzy work. An overview of the literary activities of Hofrat Professor Dr. G. Krause. Coethen 1913.
• Holm-Dietmar Schwarz:  Krause, Georg. In: New German Biography (NDB). Volume 12, Duncker & Humblot, Berlin 1980, ISBN 3-428-00193-1 , p. 702 ( digitized version ).
• Horst Remane : On the merger with the Chemiker-Zeitung , in: Journal for practical chemistry 334 (1992), pp. 5-13.
• Frank Weise: The birth certificate of the Chemiker-Zeitung , in: Journal for practical chemistry 335 (1994), pp. 211-213.