(Born: Hanau, Germany, 30 October 1817; Died: Heidelberg, Germany, 20 February 1892) German chemist & crystallographer.

Kopp was a pupil of Leopold Gmelin [1788-1853] and Justus Liebig [1803-1873]. He became professor of chemistry at Giessen and Heidelberg in 1863. He is best remembered for his Geschichte der Chemie (4 vols., Braunschweig, 1843-7). In his researches, Kopp worked to deduce a relationship between the physical properties, the molecular weights and the chemical composition of compounds. In 1849, with Liebig, he founded the important journal, Jahresbericht der Chemie.

Biographical references: ADB: 55, 820. • Barr, Index to Biographical Fragments, 1973: 144. • Berichte der Deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft: 25 (1892), 505-21 [by A.W. von Hofmann]. • DBA: I 693, 159-167; II 744, 111-119. • DSB: 7, 463-4 [by H.M. Leicester]. • Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th edition. • Great Chemists: 583-600, portrait. • ISIS, 1913-65: 2, 28. • Journal of the Chemical Society: 63 (1893), 775-815 [by T.E. Thorpe]. • NDB: 12, 566-8 [by H. Walter]. • Poggendorff: 1, cols. 1304-5, 3, 742 & 4, 792. • Ruska, J., "Hermann Kopp, historian of chemistry", Journal of Chemical Education, 14, (1937), 3-12. • Schaedler, Biographisch Handwörterbuch, 1891: 62. • Speter, M., "`Vater Kopp' bio-, biblio-, und psychographisces von und über Hermann Kopp (1817-1892)", Osiris, 5, (1938), 392-460. [Provides many personal details drawn from Kopp's letters to Liebig.]. • WBI. • World Who's Who in Science: 958.

Einleitung in die Krystallographie, 1949

1. German, 1849 [First edition].
Einleitung | in die | Krystallographie | und in die | krystallographische Kenntniß | der | wichtigeren Substanzen. | Von | Dr. Herman Kopp, | außerordentlichenm Professor der Physik und Chemie an der Universität Gießen. | [rule] | Mit einem Atlas von 21 Kupfertafeln und 7 lithographirten Tafeln, | Netze zu Krystallmodellen enthaltend. | [tapered rule] | Brauschweig, | Druck und Verlag von Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn. | [short rule] | 1849.

[Title page of atlas reads:]

XXI Kupfertafeln | zu der | Einleitung in die Krystallographie | und in die | krystallographische Kenntniß der wichtigeren Substanzen | von | Hermann Kopp. | [tapered rule] | Braunschweig, | Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn. | [rule] | 1849.

Text plus atlas. [Text] 8°: [i]-xii, [1]-346 p. [Atlas] Oblong 4°: [4] p., 28 plates (7 folding).

Contents: [Text] [i-ii], Half title page, "Einleitung | in die | Krystallographie," verso blank.; [iii-iv], Title page, verso blank.; [v]-viii, "Vorrede."-dated July 1848.; [ix]-xii, "Inhaltsübersicht."; [1]-346, Text.

[Atlas] [2 pgs], Title page, verso blank.; [2 pgs], Preliminary text.; [At end], 28 plates.

Very scarce. Kopp, a German chemist at the University of Heidelberg, is best known for his work on physical chemistry and crystallography and publications on the history of chemistry. Prepared as a result of teaching courses in crystallography Kopp was able to prepare his Einleitung in die Krystallographie (Introduction to Crystallography), a well-known text on this subject. It is an introductory mathematical treatise of crystallography for students of chemistry and mineralogy and is now considered a classic work on the subject. The first section is an introduction that discusses the basics of crystallography, including axes, systems, crystal physics and crystal chemistry. Each of the seven crystal systems is then described in great detail. Kopp gives the description and measurement of the angles of a large number of natural and artificial crystals. The atlas includes several plates, especially noted for their cut-out folding crystal models, which were used to craft examples of crystals.

Bibliographical references: Dana's 7th (Bibliography): 75. • Freilich Sale Catalog: no. 321. • NUC. • Whewell, History of the Inductive Sciences, 1858: p. 628.

2. German, 1862 [2nd edition].
Einleitung | In Die | Krystallographie | Und In Die | Krystallographische Kenntniss | Der | Wichtigeren Substanzen. | Von | Hermann Kopp. | [rule] | Zweite Auflage. | [rule] | Mit Einem Atlas Von 22 Kupfertafeln Und 7 Tafeln, Netze Zu | Krystallmodellen Enthaltend. | [rule] | Braunschweig, | Druck Und Verlag Von Friedrich Vieweg Und Sohn. | 1862.

Text plus atlas. [Text] 8°: [i]-xiv, [1]-348 p. [Atlas] Oblong 4°: [2] p., 22 full page plates of crystal diagrams and 6 folded diagrams of crystal models.

Contents: [Text] [i-ii], Half title page, "Einleitung | In Die | Krystallographie," verso blank.; [iii-iv], Title page, verso "Die Herausgabe einer Uebersetzung in englisher und französischer Sprache | ..."; [v]-ix, "Vorrede Zur Ersten Auflage."; ix-x, "Vorrede Zur Zweiten Auflage."-dated January 1862.; [xi]-xiv, "Inhaltsübersicht."; [1]-348, Text.

[Atlas] [2 pgs], Title page, verso preliminary text.; [At end], 22 plates.

Very scarce. The first section is an introduction that discusses the basics of crystallography, including axes, systems, crystal physics and crystal chemistry. Each of the seven crystal systems is then described in detail.

Bibliographical references: NUC.

3. German, 1843-7.
Geschichte der Chemie. | [rule] | Von | Dr. Hermann Kopp, | [rule] | Erster Theil. | Mit dem Bildnisse Lavoisier's | [tapered rule] | Braunschweig, | Druck und Verlag von Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn. | [short rule] | 1843.

4 vols. [Vol 1: 1843] 8°: [i]-xix, [1], [1]-455, [1] p., frontispiece (Lavoisier). [Vol 2: 1844] 8°: [i]-x, [1]-426 p., frontispiece (Berzelius). [Vol 3: 1845] 8°: [i]-xii, [1]-372 p., frontispiece (Davy). [Vol 4: 1847] 8°: [i]-xvi, [1]-448 p., frontispiece (Liebig).

Contents: [Vol 1] [i-ii], Half title page, "Geschichte der Chemie. | Erster Theil," verso blank.; [Frontispiece, Lavoisier].; [iii-iv], Title page, verso blank.; [v], Dedication to Johann Heinrich Kopp.; [vi], Blank.; [vii]-xiv, "Vorrede."-signed Hermann Kopp, June 1843.; [xv]-xix, "Inhaltsübersicht des ersten Theils."; [1 pg], Blank.; [1], Sectional title page.; [2], Blank.; [3]-455, Text.; [1 pg], Blank.

[Vol 2] [i-ii], Half title page, "Geschichte der Chemie. | zweiten Theil," verso blank.; [Frontispiece, Berzelius].; [iii-iv], Title page, verso blank.; [v]-x, "Inhaltsübersicht des zweiten Theils."; [1], Sectional title page.; [2], Blank.; [3]-426, Text.

[Vol 3] [i-ii], Half title page, "Geschichte der Chemie. | Dritter Theil," verso blank.; [Frontispiece, Davy].; [iii-iv], Title page, verso blank.; [v]-xii, "Inhaltsübersicht des dritter Theils."; [1]-372, Text.

[Vol 4] [i-ii], Half title page, "Geschichte der Chemie. | Vierter Theil," verso blank.; [Frontispiece, Liebig].; [iii-iv], Title page, verso blank.; [v]-viii, "Vorwort zum vierten Theile."-signed Hermann Kopp, August 1846.; [ix]-xvi, "Inhaltsübersicht des Vierter Theils."; [1]-411, Text.; [412]-414, "Verbesserungen und Zusätze."; [415], Sectional title page, "Register."; [416], Blank.; [427]-433, "I. Namenregister."; [434]-448, "II. Sachregister."

Very scarce. Unquestionably the most outstanding work of the nineteenth century, scholarly and well written. "The first volume presents a survey of chemical developments from antiquity to Kopp's time; the second is a study of the history of chemical operations, analytical chemistry, mineralogy, pharmacy, and alchemy and of the nature of chemical changes; volumes three and four are detailed histories of elements and compounds. The set is, even today, a valuable source of information regarding many phases of chemistry"-Ihde

Bibliographical references: Bolton, Bibliography of Chemistry, 1893: p. 127. • Ihde, Development of Modern Chemistry, 1964: p. 761. • NUC.

4. German, 1869-75.
Beiträge | Zur | Geschichte Der Chemie. | [rule] | Von | Hermann Kopp. | [rule] | Mit Einer Tafel. | [rule] | Erstes Stück. | [rule] | Braunschweig, | Druck Und Verlag Von F. Vieweg Und Sohn. | 1869.

3 vols. [Vol 1: 1869] viii, 239, [1] p., one plate (folding). [Vol 2: 1869] [2], 243-530 p. [Vol 3: 1875] ix, 310 p.

Very scarce. The erudite, comprehensive, important, and valuable supplement to Kopp's monumental history of chemistry, Geschichte der Chemie (4 vols., 1843-47), a work which has been called the "first complete, accurate, and readable history of chemistry."-DSB. This supplement is divided into three parts, the second of which bears its own half-title page (following p. 240). For this reason, this work is sometimes described as three volumes in one, although it is actually comprised of only two imprints. The second imprint bears a special title page reading "Ansichten uber die Aufgabe der Chemie und uber die Grundbestandtheile der Korper bei den bedeutenderen chemikern von Geber bis G.E. Stahl. Die Entdeckung der Zusammensetzung des Wassers."

Bibliographical references: Bolton, Bibliography of Chemistry, 1893: p. 127. • Ihde, Development of Modern Chemistry, 1964: p. 761. • NUC.

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