Frenzel, August (1842-1902 )

Friedrich August Frenzel was born in Freiberg, Saxony on May 24, 1842, the son of a mining family. He won a scholarship to attend the Freiberg Mining Academy in 1861, where he attracted the attention August Breithaupt (q.v.), who enlisted him to help arrange the Academy's mineral collection, verify various species, and assist with research. Under Breithaupt's guidance Frenzel soon became an expert mineralogist. His father having recently died, he worked as a timberman in the Freiberg mines to support himself and his mother while completing his studies. Following graduation from the Academy in 1865 (with the official title of "Mine Inspector") he worked as a chemist for 25 years with the Freiberg smelting laboratory, and lectured at the Mining Academy.

Frenzel published Mineralogisches Lexicon fur das Konigreich Sachsen (Leipzig, 1874); it contains descriptions of 723 mineral species found in Saxony, and gives information on their physical properties and chemical composition as well as the regional localities. This handbook became very popular among mineralogists and brought Frenzel widespread attention. He published 50 technical papers on mineralogy, including the descriptions of the new species lithophorite (1870), pucherite (1871), heterogenite-3R (1872), miriquidite (1872), lautite(1881), rezbanyite (1883), hohmannite (1887), amarantite (1888), and cylindrite (1893). He may also have been the first person to isolate the element germanium (although priority is usually given to Clemens Winkler, also in Freiberg).

Frenzel built two large mineral collections. He used a rubber stamp to overstamp the labels of others with his mark in purple ink. The two labels shown here are for specimens purchased in 1875 from the Freiberg Mining Academy's mineral dealership.(Niederlage). Frenzel died in Freiberg on August 27, 1902.