Carl Reichenbach
A 19th-century industrial chemist who pulled profitable wonders from coal tar while chasing a universal life force he called Odic energy.
1788–1869 (age 81)·German scientist and philosopher·Birthday: February 12
Biography
Carl Reichenbach was a man of two distinct eras. In his first act, he was a supremely practical industrial chemist, managing ironworks and pioneering the extraction of valuable substances from coal tar. His laboratory yielded paraffin wax, phenol (a crucial antiseptic), and other compounds that quietly fueled the material progress of the 19th century, earning him prestige and a place in the Prussian Academy of Sciences. Then, in a dramatic pivot, he spent his later years consumed by a metaphysical quest. Convinced that a fundamental energy permeated all living things and crystals, he conducted thousands of experiments in darkened rooms with 'sensitives' who claimed to see luminous auras. He named this supposed force 'Od', and his voluminous writings on the Odic force, though thoroughly dismissed by the scientific establishment, captured the public imagination and became a curious footnote in the history of ideas, bridging hard industry and spiritual speculation.
#1 When Carl Was Born
The biggest hits of 1788
Carl's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1788Born
1793Started school
1801Became a teenager
1804Could drive
1806Could vote
1809Turned 21
1818Turned 30
1828Turned 40
1838Turned 50
1848Turned 60
1858Turned 70
1868Turned 80
President: Andrew Johnson
1869Died at 81
President: Ulysses S. Grant
Key Achievements
- Discovered and isolated paraffin wax, creating a new industry for candles, sealing, and preservation.
- First to isolate phenol (carbolic acid) from coal tar, a compound later vital as an antiseptic and in plastics.
- Served as director of the ironworks in Villingen and Moravská Ostrava, contributing to industrial development.
- Published extensive research on a proposed universal vital energy, which he termed the Odic force.
Did You Know?
He was a Freiherr, meaning he held the title of German baron.
His Odic force research involved sessions with people he believed were especially sensitive to its effects, often conducted in complete darkness.
Despite his later unorthodox work, he remained a respected member of the Prussian Academy of Sciences.
The chemical compound 'eupione', one of his discoveries from tar, is named from Greek words meaning 'easily oily'.
“Odic force permeates all matter, visible only to the sensitive.”
