Friedrich Otto Schott

German chemist

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July 13, 2026

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Friedrich Otto Schott was a German chemist renowned for his pioneering work in glass technology. He collaborated with Carl Zeiss, a manufacturer of optical instruments, and Ernst Abbe, a physicist and mathematician. Together, they founded Schott and Associates Glass Technology Laboratory in Jena, Germany, in 1884.12

Schott's significant contribution was the development of approximately 100 new types of optical glass and numerous heat-resistant glasses, which became known as Jena glass. This innovative glass, a sodium-magnesium-aluminum-zinc borosilicate, was particularly suited for chemical ware, thermometers, and scientific and industrial applications due to its improved resistance to heat and shock. His work laid the foundation for later borosilicate glasses, such as Pyrex.12

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Carl Zeiss
They engaged Otto Schott, a chemist, who developed about 100 new kinds of optical glass and numerous types of heat-resistant glass (later called Jena glass) at a glassworks the three founded.
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They engaged Otto Schott, a chemist, who developed about 100 new kinds of optical glass and numerous types of heat-resistant glass (later called Jena glass) at a glassworks the three founded.
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eyeglasses
Ernst Abbe and Otto Schott in 1885 demonstrated that the incorporation of new elements into the glass melt led to many desirable variations in refractive index and dispersive power. In the modern process, glass for lenses is first rolled into plate form. Most lenses are made from clear crown…
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Ernst Abbe and Otto Schott in 1885 demonstrated that the incorporation of new elements into the glass melt led to many desirable variations in refractive index and dispersive power. In the modern process, glass for lenses is first rolled into plate form. Most lenses are made from clear crown…
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Jena glass
…by the German glass chemist Otto Schott, who, with Ernst Abbe and Carl Zeiss, founded Schott and Associates Glass Technology Laboratory in Jena, Germany, in 1884. The early Jena glass—a sodium–magnesium–aluminum–zinc borosilicate containing some
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…by the German glass chemist Otto Schott, who, with Ernst Abbe and Carl Zeiss, founded Schott and Associates Glass Technology Laboratory in Jena, Germany, in 1884. The early Jena glass—a sodium–magnesium–aluminum–zinc borosilicate containing some
Read More