Leopold Pfaundler von Hadermur (14 February 1839 – 6 May 1920) was an Austrianphysicist andchemist born inInnsbruck. He was the father ofpediatricianMeinhard von Pfaundler (1872–1947), and the father-in-law of pediatricianTheodor Escherich (1857–1911).
He studied under chemistHeinrich Hlasiwetz (1825–1875) at Innsbruck, withJustus von Liebig (1803–1873) at theUniversity of Munich, and withHenri Victor Regnault (1810–1878) andCharles Adolphe Wurtz (1817–1884) inParis. In 1861 he received his doctorate, and in 1867 was appointed professor of physics at theUniversity of Innsbruck. In 1891 he succeededLudwig Boltzmann (1844–1906) as professor of physics at theUniversity of Graz. In 1887 he became a full member of theVienna Academy of Sciences.[1][2]
Pfaundler is remembered today for hiskinetic-molecular explanation of gas reactions under the condition of equilibrium.[3] He was the inventor of a number of scientific apparatuses — devices he often utilized in classroom demonstrations. These included atemperature regulator (1863), aStromkalorimeter (1869), a differential airthermometer (1875), aseismograph (1897) and a distance meter (1915), to name a few.[2] He is also credited with creating a device for optical demonstration ofLissajous figures (1873).[4]
In 1863–64 he performed a survey of theStubaier Alps withLudwig Barth zu Barthenau (1839–1890), and in 1864 he was the first person to ascend to the summit of theHofmannspitze (3112m).[5]
He also publishedMüller-Pouillet's Lehrbuch der Physik und Meteorologie ("Johann Heinrich Jakob Müller–Claude Pouillet's textbook of physics andmeteorology"), (9th edition, 1886–98, 3 volumes).[7]
Pfaundler’s 1867 publication entitled “Beiträge zur chemischen Statik” [“A Contribution to Chemical Statics”][8][9] was a major contribution to the kinetic theory of chemical reactions.[10] This publication was honored by a Citation for Chemical Breakthrough Award from the Division of History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society presented to the University of Innsbruck in 2016.[11][12]
