Lajos Winkler

Lajos Winkler was a Hungarian analytical chemist who is best known today for his discovery of the Winkler Method for the measurement of oxygen dissolved in water. Winkler was a well-known advocate of Hungarian analytics around the globe. Approximately 400 scientific papers and several publications were produced by him.

Born as Ludwig Wilhelm Winkler in Arad, capital city of Arad Judet (county), Hungry (now Western Romania). He was born on May 21, 1863 and relatively little information is in print in English concerning his life.

Lajos Winkler received his education from Eotvos Lorand University (also known as Budapest University of Science), where he had his doctorate in 1890, while working with his doctoral advisor Carl von Than. He stayed on to work as a lecturer, among other positions, and directed the Institute of Chemistry, Budapest University of Science in 1909. He worked as the director for the Institute for more than 25 years. 

He died on April 14, 1939 at the age of 76 in Budapest.

Contribution to Scientific community and achievements

As a doctoral student in 1888, Winkler discovered a safer and more accurate way to measure dissolved oxygen than the widely used test from the nineteenth century, which had been discovered by English analytical chemist James Alfred Wanklyn in the early 1800s. 

The work was done as part of doctoral dissertation and the method was later named after him as Winkler method of Dissolved-oxygen analysis. The method uses the dissolved oxygen to convert manganese(II) hydroxide into manganese(III) species, and then analyzing for the latter by titration. Dissolved oxygen (D.O.) determination is a commonly used technique to assess the oxygen saturation level of water in water quality investigations and regular operations of water reclamation plants.

This work established his reputation in the scientific world. He solved a very important practical problem within his invention, namely making it possible to determine the amount of oxygen dissolved in water in high pressure boilers (thus, the oxygen which greatly influences the boilers’ corrosion resistance). 

Lajos Winkler is also said to have published several hundred papers, to have helped found the Hungarian Journal of Chemistry. As a lecturer, he participated in the teaching of pharmacy, and was actively cooperated in writing some of the publications of the Hungarian Pharmacopoeia. In 1922, he become a member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences.

Within his area of research, gravimetric analysis, and the identification of ammonia and acid members of lipids were the most important aspects, but he also worked on the detection of chlorine and iodine traces in water.

Since 1964, Lajos Winkler commemorative medal is given biennially to an outstanding practitioner of pharmaceutical science.