The Uover
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Fritz Feigl o*
A sunny morning in New York, a few weeks ago, Fritz Feigl, the noted chemist, sat in the dining room of the Plaza Hotel and sipped a tall glass of orange juice as he unfolded the story of his eventful life to a representative of
University of Vienna, where he studied for his doctorate in analytical chemistry under the famous Wilhelm Schlenk. Although his prior technical training had been in chemical engineering Feigl attributes this bent toward analytical CHEMICAL AND ENGINEERING N E W S . A chemistry to the excellent course in analyrecent edition of his famous book on sis engineers were required to take at spot test analysis lay open on the table the Polytechnic Institute. Schlenk origiand bore mute evidence that its author nally assigned the young analyst a probwas the man who founded that method lem on phosphate, but he found it dull of chemical analysis some 30 years ago and convinced his superior that he be at the University of Vienna. His sun- allowed to study the reactions now browned countenance and the aromatic known as spot tests instead. His interest South American cigarette that hung from in this field. Feigl explains, had been his lips, however, reflected the locale of stirred initially by the work of Goppelthe current phase of his life and scientific sroeder, who in the middle of the nineactivity—Brazil—where in 1940. he was teenth century used such reactions to offered refuge from his Nazi enemies and identify the compounds drawn into filter given the chance to continue his work [•aper by his methods of capillary analyin the free atmosphere of the new world. sis. The degree of D.Sc. for his thesis on During the course of the interview, spot testing methods was granted to Feigl it was evident that Feigl considered this, in 1920 by the Polytechnic Institute, his first visit to the United States, one which had a reciprocal arrangement with of the most exciting episodes in hi* the University of Vienna where Feigl colorful career. Within a few days he «lid his actual work. was to attend the symposium on "OrFeigl remained at the university after ganic Reagents" of the Analytical and receiving his degree and was advanced up Micro Division of the AMERICAN C H E M I the academic ladder until in 1936 he CAL SOCIETY and meet the many famous was made a professor of analytical chemanalysts of this country with whom he ist ry. During these years interest in his had corresponded for years—first from methods of analysis became world wide Vienna and later from Rio de Janeiro. and he was regarded as the prime mover The fact that the greater part of his in the use of organic reagents for the life was spent in these two centers of solution of analytical problems. He won the worldly culture of their respective the Vienna Academy of Sciences award continents has made Fritz Feigl a true in 1927 for his work and in 1931 published cosmopolite and the pleasant hum of the work "Qualitative Analyse mit Hilfe big city noises that drifted in through von Tuepfelreaktionen," which was folthe open windows of the dining room lowed by two subsequent editions and easily recalled to him his youth in translated into Russian. French, and Vienna, where he was born on May 15. English. In 1926 Feigl married Regina 1891. Freiherr. one of his doctoral students in chemistry. Leaves Vienna Hitler's "anschluss" with Austria in 1938. as it did to many other members While in high school. Feigl was induced of the faculty, brought an end to Feigl's to choose a career in chemistry by one happy and productive career at the of his instructors but had to postpone his University of Vienna. He received an college work in this field to serve a year offer from the University of Saint Anof compulsory military service in the Austro-Hungarian army. Upon his redrews in Scotland but declined with turn to civilian life in 1910 lie enrolled ureal regret to take a position that promat the famed Polytechnic Institute of ised greater security for his family at Vienna and pursued a course in chemical the Société Belge de Recherches et engineering, obtaining his bachelor's ded'Études at Ghent. Feigl always chergree in 1914. Graduation was followed ished the offer of the Scottish univerwithin a short time, however, by a call sity because, as he explains in the prefto the colors for service as a second ace of the third edition of his book, lieutenant in World War I where he "It helped me to maintain my faith in fought on the Russian front. It was the community of science in a time of during these days that he had one of deepest depression." the narrowest escapes of his life when While working as the director of the a grenade hurled into the bedroom of the Belgian research organization, Feigl was house in which he was billeted while on approached by representatives of the occupation duty failed to explode. Belgian, French, and British general The war over. Feigl enrolled at the staffs who were seeking a specific absorV O L U M E
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bent to be used in military gasmasks for protection against arsine. Using one of the reactions outlined in his book, he deposited manganese dioxide on the surface of granular silica gel. The manganese dioxide coating proved capable of oxidizing the arsine to a substance that could be retained by the absorbent. When Belgium was invaded, Feigl was temporarily interned by the authorities of that country, because of his Austrian origin, and sent to southern France. Ironically, the Germans upon occupying Ghent about the same time found letters in Feigl's laboratory from the allied governments thanking him for his work on the arsine problem. This irritated them sufficiently to institute a search for him through all of German-occupied France. Feigl, however, with the aid of some Free French officers was able to elude them and secure a meeting with the Brazilian ambassador to Vichy. The latter arranged passage for the chemist through Spain and Portugal and ultimately to Brazil. Upon his arrival in Rio de Janeiro. Feigl was astonished to be offered a research post in the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture by the famous Mario da Silva Pinto of that organization. The analyst was assigned four assistants and iriven complete freedom in his choice of research problems. The only stipulation made was that Feigl publish and lecture extensively and do everything in his power to increase the scope and reputation of Brazilian chemistry. Almost immediately Feigl's spot testing methods of analysis proved helpful to his adopted countrjr· The small amount of equipment it required to run them made them particularly valuable to the scientific expeditions charged with evaluating the immense mineral deposits in the remote inland parts of Brazil. As a result rich deposits of manganese, molybdenum, tungsten, beryllium, and uranium have been charted and examined throughout that country. It is doubtful that any scientist in Brazil can long resist the temptation to do some work involving the technology of coffee growing or processing. Feigl proved no exception by developing a method of extracting caffeine from subbeverage grade coffee by the use of kerosene. This obviated the need for the expensive extraction solvents not easily obtainable in Brazil. The Feigl's only child, a son named Hans, graduated this June with a bachelor^ degree in chemistry from Swarthmore College. H e plans to travel with his father to Europe this summer to continue his studies at the University of Zurich. While the junior Feigl is enrolling in this institution, the senior Feigl will be up in Amsterdam representing Brazil at the meeting of the International Union of Chemistry in that city in September. 1997
