Friedlieb Runge and his capillary designs

Abstract

The work of the academic and industrial German chemist Friedlieb F. Runge (1794 - 1867) has remained virtually unknown. About 100 years before Martin and Synge, Noble laureates in 1952 for the development of partition chromatog., Runge took advantage of the capillary action of blotting paper as a means of visualizing chem. changes. In his 1855 book, Bildungstrieb der Stoffe, Runge described techniques that are the forerunners of modern paper chromatog. Runge also found uses for coal tar oil, isolation of deep-red crystals that yielded a brilliant red dyestuff, the first synthetic textile colorant suitable for dyeing calico and silk fabrics. From his publications, Runge can be considered the discoverer of capillary anal., developed as an anal. tool 100 years later in the form of paper chromatog.