Rose family
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Who were the Rose family in Germany?
The Rose family was a notable family of German chemists.
Key members:
- Valentine Rose the Elder (1736–1771): An apothecary in Berlin and discoverer of “Rose’s fusible metal”.
- Valentine Rose the Younger (1762–1807): Also an apothecary in Berlin who proved in 1800 that sulfuric ether contains no sulfur.
- Heinrich Rose (1795–1864): Son of Valentine Rose the younger, he became a professor of chemistry at the University of Berlin, known for his work in inorganic chemistry and analytical methods. He discovered antimony pentachloride and Columbium compounds.
- Gustav Rose (1798–1873): Heinrich's brother, he was a mineralogist and crystallographer. He became a professor of mineralogy at Berlin University and director of the Royal Mineralogical Museum at Berlin. He contributed to mineralogy, crystallography, and petrography and studied meteorites.
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Where in Germany did the Rose family live?
The Rose family, a distinguished family of German chemists, lived in various locations in Germany.
Valentine Rose, the elder, was born in Neuruppin, Brandenburg, Prussia, and later worked as an apothecary in Berlin. His son, Valentine Rose, the younger, also lived and worked in Berlin as an apothecary. Two of Valentine Rose, the younger's sons, Heinrich Rose and Gustav Rose, were born and lived in Berlin as well.
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Why is the Rose family important in German history?
The Rose family is significant in German history for their contributions to chemistry, mineralogy, and crystallography. Valentine Rose the Elder (1736–1771) was an apothecary who discovered Rose's fusible metal. His son, Valentine Rose the Younger (1762–1807), also an apothecary, demonstrated that sulfuric ether contains no sulfur.
Two of Valentine Rose the Younger's sons, Heinrich Rose (1795–1864) and Gustav Rose (1798–1873), made considerable contributions to science. Heinrich, a chemistry professor, specialized in inorganic chemistry and analytic methods, discovering antimony pentachloride and Columbium compounds. Gustav, a mineralogy professor and crystallographer, studied the artificial formation of minerals and is considered by some to be the founder of petrography.
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What were some occupations or roles held by members of the Rose family?
The Rose family was a German family of chemists. Valentine Rose the elder (1736–1771) was an apothecary and discoverer of Rose's fusible metal. His son, Valentine Rose the younger (1762–1807), was also an apothecary. In 1800, he proved that sulfuric ether contains no sulfur.
Valentine Rose the younger had four sons, two of whom were Heinrich and Gustav. Heinrich Rose (1795–1864) studied pharmacy and chemistry, becoming a professor of chemistry. He specialized in inorganic chemistry and analytic methods and discovered antimony pentachloride and Columbium compounds. Gustav Rose (1798–1873) began as a mining engineer before becoming a professor of mineralogy. He became the director of the Royal Mineralogical Museum at Berlin. His mineralogical work included crystallography, the artificial formation of minerals, and the study of meteorites.
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Did the Rose family contribute to any famous historical events?
The Rose family is a distinguished family of German chemists. Valentine Rose the elder (1736–1771) was an apothecary who discovered Rose’s fusible metal. His son, Valentine Rose the younger (1762–1807), also an apothecary, proved in 1800 that sulfuric ether contains no sulfur.
Two of Valentine Rose the younger's sons, Heinrich (1795–1864) and Gustav (1798–1873), were notable chemists. Heinrich, known for his work in inorganic chemistry and analytical methods, discovered antimony pentachloride and Columbium compounds. Gustav, a mineralogist, took part in a mineralogical expedition to the Ural and Altai mountains and the Caspian Sea, which yielded information of primary importance concerning the mineralogy of the Russian Empire.
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Rose family, a distinguished family of German chemists.
Valentine Rose, the elder (b. Aug. 16, 1736, Neuruppin, Brandenburg, Prussia—d. April 28, 1771, Berlin), was an apothecary in Berlin and, for a short time, assessor of the Ober Collegium Medicum. He was the discoverer of “Rose’s fusible metal.” His son, Valentine Rose, the younger (b. Oct. 31, 1762, Berlin—d. Aug. 10, 1807, Berlin), was also an apothecary in Berlin and assessor of the Ober Collegium Medicum from 1797. It was he who in 1800 proved that sulfuric ether contains no sulfur. He had four sons, one of whom, Heinrich, was a distinguished chemist, and another, Gustav, a crystallographer and mineralogist.
Heinrich Rose (b. Aug. 6, 1795, Berlin—d. Jan. 27, 1864, Berlin) began to learn pharmacy in Danzig. During the summer of 1816 he studied at Berlin under M.H. Klaproth, and in the autumn entered a pharmacy at Mitau. In 1819 he went to Stockholm, where he spent a year and a half with Jöns Jacob Berzelius, and in 1821 he graduated at Kiel. Returning to Berlin he became a Privatdozent in the university in 1822, extraordinary professor of chemistry in 1823, and ordinary professor in 1835. He devoted himself especially to inorganic chemistry and the development of analytical methods, and the results of his work are summed up in the successive issues of his classical work, Ausführliches Handbuch der analytischen Chemie (1829; “Complete Handbook of Analytic Chemistry”). He was the discoverer of antimony pentachloride and Columbium compounds.
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His brother, Gustav Rose (b. March 18, 1798, Berlin—d. July 15, 1873, Berlin), was perhaps the most celebrated member of the family. He began his career as a mining engineer but soon turned his attention to theoretical studies. He graduated in 1820 from Berlin University where he became successively Privatdozent (1823), extraordinary professor of mineralogy (1826), and ordinary professor (1839). In 1856 he succeeded to the directorship of the Royal Mineralogical Museum at Berlin, and he helped to found the German Geological Society, of which he was president from 1863 until the end of his life. He made many journeys in different parts of Europe for the sake of mineralogical study, and in 1829, with the German naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt and the German biologist Christian Gottfried Ehrenberg, took part in an expedition to the Ural and Altai mountains and the Caspian Sea, which yielded information of primary importance concerning the mineralogy of the Russian Empire. His work covered every branch of mineralogy, including crystallography and the artificial formation of minerals. The science of petrography, according to some authorities, originated with him. He was the first in his own country to use the reflecting geniometer for the measurement of the angles of crystals, and to teach the method of studying rocks by means of microscopic sections. He also devoted special attention to meteorites and to the problem presented by the different structure of the stony matter in them and in the crust of the Earth, and just before his death he was engaged in investigating the formation of the diamond.