Robert Bunsen

Robert Bunsen was a German chemist and inventor who made significant contributions to the fields of spectroscopy, gas analysis, photochemistry, and organoarsenic chemistry. He is best known for developing the Bunsen burner, a device that produces a single open gas flame for heating and combustion experiments. He also discovered two new elements, caesium and rubidium, with his colleague Gustav Kirchhoff, by using the technique of flame emission spectroscopy. He also studied the emission spectra of various elements and their compounds, and established the principles of spectrum analysis. He was a pioneer in the use of hydrothermal synthesis to produce new minerals and crystals. He also investigated the properties and reactions of cacodyl, an organoarsenic compound that is highly toxic and explosive. He was a prolific researcher and published over 350 papers in his lifetime. He was also a popular teacher and mentor who trained many eminent chemists. He received several honors and awards for his scientific achievements, including the Copley Medal, the Davy Medal, and the Albert Medal. He never married and devoted his entire life to science. He died of heart failure at the age of 88 in Heidelberg, Germany.