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Ernst Berl Papers
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Held at: Science History Institute Archives [Contact Us]315 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19106
This is a finding aid. It is a description of archival material held at the Science History Institute Archives. Unless otherwise noted, the materials described below are physically available in their reading room, and not digitally available through the web.
Overview and metadata sections
Ernst Berl was an Austrian chemical engineer, chemistry professor, and inventor. An Austrian Jew, Berl was born on July 7, 1877 in Freudenthal, Upper Silesia (at the time part of Austria-Hungary, now part of the Czech Republic). He attended the Technical University of Vienna, graduating with a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1898. He furthered his education at the University of Zurich in Switzerland, earning his doctorate in Chemical Engineering in 1901. After obtaining his doctorate, Berl remained at the University of Zurich for a number of years, serving as a lecturer of Chemical Technology. In 1910, he was appointed Chief Chemist of the Tubize Artificial Silk Factory in Belgium, where he was active in the development of synthetic fabrics. At the outbreak of World War I in 1914, Berl returned to his home country and became Chief Chemist of the Austro-Hungarian War Ministry. In this capacity, he helped with the development of explosives and chemical weapons for the Austro-Hungarian military.
Berl moved to Germany in 1919 when was appointed Professor of Chemistry at the Technical University of Darmstadt. He enjoyed a distinguished career at this institution, conducting research on a wide range of topics, including, but not limited to, synthetic fabrics, chemistry of fuels, sulfuric acid, and methods of chemical analysis. When the Nazis came to power in Germany in 1933, Berl and other Jewish faculty members were dismissed from their university posts. That same year, he moved to the United States when he was appointed Research Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Carnegie Institute of Technology (now Carnegie-Mellon University) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
At Carnegie Tech, Berl continued to enjoy a distinguished and productive scientific career. He conducted research on wide range of topics, including, but not limited to cellulose chemistry, chemistry of fuels, and methods of chemical distillation. In addition his faculty duties at Carnegie Tech, Berl served as a consulting chemist with the Tennessee Valley Authority and the United States Navy Ordnance Department. During World War II, he contributed to the American war effort by conducting research on explosives and chemical warfare. Berl became a naturalized citizen of the United States in 1938. He retired from Carnegie Tech in 1946.
In addition to being a prominent chemical engineer, Berl was a prolific inventor who was awarded a number of patents over the course of his career. In 1931, he was awarded a United States patent for the "Berl Saddle," a ceramic distillation tower packing which is still widely used in the chemical industry today. In 1940, he invented a method of synthesizing coal and oil from plant material at a relatively low cost.
Ernst Berl passed away on February 16, 1946.
Sources
Ernst Berl Papers, Chemical Heritage Foundation Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Ernst Berl Papers contain the personal papers of Austrian chemical engineer Ernst Berl. The collection is arranged into the following seven series:
- Correspondence
- Subject Files
- Patent Files
- Financial Records
- Personal Files
- Papers and Speeches
- Printed Materials
Selected materials from this collection have been digitized and are available online in our Digital Collections: https://digital.sciencehistory.org/collections/2z7a8ts
The Ernst Berl Papers were originally donated to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in 2013, then subsequently transferred and formally donated to the Science History Institute (formerly the Chemical Heritage Foundation) by Herbert Berl in September 2013.
The Ernst Berl Papers were processed by Kenton G. Jaehnig in June 2015.
Subject
- Publisher
- Science History Institute Archives
- Finding Aid Author
- Finding aid created and encoded into EAD by Kenton G. Jaehnig
- Finding Aid Date
- 2014
- Access Restrictions
-
There are no access restrictions on the materials for research purposes and the collection is open to the public.
- Use Restrictions
-
The Science History Institute holds copyright to the Ernst Berl Papers. The researcher assumes full responsibility for all copyright, property, and libel laws as they apply.
Collection Inventory
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains Ernst Berl's professional and personal correspondence. A majority of the materials in this series were generated by Berl during his tenure as Research Professor of Chemical Engineering at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. The files in this series contain Berl's correspondence with fellow chemical engineers and scientists, including, but not limited to Jules Bebie and Heinz Heinemann. This series also contains Berl's correspondence with a number of business concerns who were interested in his scientific research and patents, including, but not limited to, The Distillers Company, Limited and Monsanto Chemical Company. Also preserved in this series is Ernst Berl's correspondence with his younger son Herbert Berl, who served as his father's patent attorney. Correspondence files regarding a number of subjects, including, but not limited to miscellaneous individuals, scientific topics of interest to Berl, scientific organizations, and United States government agencies are found in this series as well.
The contents of the Correspondence files consist mainly of letters. A small amount of accompanying materials, including, but not limited to, article reprints, clippings, paper manuscripts, and legal documents are found in these files as well.
Includes photograph.
Includes photograph.
Includes photograph.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains subject files pertaining to a cross-section of Ernst Berl's business and professional activities. Files regarding Berl's business dealings, most notably those concerning Maurice A. Knight Company (an Akron, Ohio-based ceramics company that manufactured "Berl Saddles" under license), make up the largest component of this series. This series also contains a few files pertaining to topics of scientific interest to Berl, including, but not limited to, Berl's method of synthesizing hydrogen peroxide. A handful of files documenting Berl's participation in two patent dispute cases are also preserved in this series. Two files pertaining to Berl's tenure with the Tubize Artificial Silk Factory and one small file documenting his tenure at the Carnegie Institute of Technology are preserved in this series. Three files documenting Berl's service as a chemistry consultant to the Tennessee Valley Authority are found in this series as well.
The contents of the Subject Files consist of a variety of materials, including correspondence, reports, legal documents, and financial documents. Copies of patents, photographs, notes, article reprints, blueprints, and drawings are found in these files as well.
Includes photograph.
Includes photographs.
This series contains Ernst Berl's patent files. The contents of the Patent Files are arranged into the following five sub-series:
- United States Patents
- Foreign Patents
- United States Patent Applications
- Foreign Patent Applications
- Miscellaneous Patent Files
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this sub-series contains Ernst Berl's United States patent files. These files concern individual patents awarded to Ernst Berl by the United States Patent Office. The files in this sub-series provide detailed primary documentation of the legal process through which Ernst Berl's inventions were patented in the United States. They also contain technical information for the inventions represented in this series.
From the United States Patents files, one can learn much about the research and development work carried out by Berl to bring the represented inventions into being. They also provide extensive documentation of the legal work carried out by Ernst Berl's younger son and patent attorney Herbert Berl, who frequently represented his father and played a major role in getting many of his father's inventions patented.
The contents of the United States Patents files consist mainly of copies of patents, legal documents, and correspondence. Letters patents, drawing reproductions, drawings, clippings, and notes are preserved in these files as well.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this sub-series contains Ernst Berl's foreign patent files. These files concern individual patents awarded to Ernst Berl by a number of countries outside of the United States, including, but not limited to the United Kingdom, Canada, France, and Germany. The files in this sub-series provide primary documentation of the legal processes of a number of countries through which Ernst Berl's inventions were patented outside of the United States. They also contain technical information for the inventions represented in this series.
From the Foreign Patents files, one can learn much about the research and development work carried out by Berl to bring the represented inventions into being. They also document the involvement of Ernst Berl's younger son and patent attorney Herbert Berl in getting some of his father's inventions patented.
The contents of the Foreign Patents files consist mainly of copies of patents, legal documents, and correspondence. Letters patents, drawing reproductions, clippings, notes, and a few publications are preserved in these files as well.
Includes copies.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this sub-series contains Ernst Berl's United States patent application files. These files mainly, but not exclusively, concern inventions for which Ernst Berl was not awarded patents by the United States Patent Office. The files in this sub-series provide detailed primary documentation of the legal process through which Ernst Berl applied for patents in the United States. They also contain technical information for the inventions represented in this series.
From the United States Patent Applications files, one can learn much about the research and development work carried out by Berl to bring the represented inventions into being. They also provide information as to why Berl did not receive United States patents for some of his inventions. Legal work carried out by Ernst Berl's younger son and patent attorney Herbert Berl is well documented in this sub-series as well.
The contents of this sub-series consist mainly of files for individual inventions for which Ernst Berl was not awarded patents in the United States, which mostly contain copies of patents, legal documents, and correspondence, but also include a few drawing reproductions and notes. Also found in this sub-series are fourteen files of Ernst Berl's notarized declarations for inventions he conceived over the course of his career, which concern both successful and unsuccessful United States patent applications. A partial list of Ernst Berl's United States patent applications, which lists both successful and unsuccessful applications, is preserved in this sub-series as well.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this sub-series contains Ernst Berl's foreign patent application files. These files mainly, but not exclusively, concern inventions for which Ernst Berl was not awarded patents by countries outside of the United States, including, but not limited to, the United Kingdom, Canada, and Chile. The files in this sub-series provide primary documentation of the legal processes of a number of countries through which Ernst Berl applied for patents. They also contain technical information for the inventions represented in this series.
From the Foreign Patents Applications files, one can learn much about the research and development work carried out by Berl to bring the represented inventions into being. They also provide information as to why Berl did not receive foreign patents for some of his inventions. Legal work carried out by Ernst Berl's younger son and patent attorney Herbert Berl is documented in this sub-series as well.
The contents of this sub-series consist mainly of files for individual inventions for which Ernst Berl was not awarded patents outside of the United States, which contain legal documents, correspondence, and notes. A single file regarding Ernst Berl's successful and unsuccessful foreign patent applications for the invention "Production of Valuable Organic Compounds from Plant Material," which contains legal documents, correspondence, drawing reproductions, and blueprints, is preserved in this sub-series as well.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this sub-series contains Ernst Berl's miscellaneous files pertaining to patents. Most of these files concern specific matters regarding Berl's individual patents and patent applications, including, but not limited to, legal and financial issues. Files regarding patent issues of a more general nature are also found here.
The contents of the Miscellaneous Patent Files consist mainly of correspondence and legal documents. Lists of Ernst Berl's patents and patent applications, drawing reproductions, and financial documents are preserved in these files as well.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains the personal financial records of Ernst Berl and his wife Margarete Berl. A majority of the files in this series document the Berls' taxes. Files regarding other Berl financial matters, including, but not limited to, banking transactions and stock transactions are also found in this series.
The contents of the Financial Records consist mainly of tax documents, correspondence, and statements. Receipts and patent lists are preserved in this series as well.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains Ernst Berl's personal files. Most of the files concern Ernst Berl himself. Two files concerning Ernst Berl's younger son Herbert Berl and one file concerning Berl Chemical Corporation, a chemical company established by Ernst and Herbert Berl are also found here.
The contents of the Personal Files consist of a variety of materials. Correspondence, legal documents, and notes are found in these files. Two appointment books and two notebooks belonging to Ernst Berl, and report cards belonging to Herbert Berl are also found here. Other miscellaneous materials, including a pair of photographs, a few clippings, and a few financial documents are preserved in this series as well.
Includes photographs.
Includes copies.
Arranged chronologically by year, this series contains papers and speeches written and presented by Ernst Berl. Most of the materials in this series were written by Berl alone. A few items written by Berl in collaboration with fellow chemical engineers are also found here.
The materials preserved in the Papers and Speeches provide written documentation of scientific research conducted by Berl over the course of his career. This series also provides written documentation of Berl's outreach activities within the scientific community. A number of items in this series later became published articles, some examples of which are preserved in Series VII – Printed Materials.
Typed manuscripts of papers and speeches (originals and photocopies) make up a large majority of the materials in this series. A few mimeographed copies of Berl's papers and speeches are also found here. A small amount of accompanying materials, including photographs, correspondence, and notes are preserved in this series as well.
Includes photographs.
Includes photographs.
Includes photograph.
Includes photographs.
Includes photographs.
Arranged alphabetically by subject, this series contains printed materials collected by Ernst Berl over the course of his career. A large majority of the materials in this series were written by Berl in collaboration with fellow chemical engineers. A significant amount of materials written and published by Berl alone are also found here. A small amount of printed materials not written by Berl are also included in this series. A number of items in this series are published versions of papers and speeches written or co-written by Berl, some examples of which are preserved in Series VI – Papers and Speeches.
The materials preserved in this series provide published documentation of scientific research conducted by Berl over the course of his career. This series also provides published documentation of Berl's outreach activities within the scientific community. A limited amount of information regarding research topics of interest to Berl is also found here.
Reprints of scientific journal articles constitute a large majority of the materials in the Printed Materials series. A handful of magazine clippings and newspaper clippings are preserved in this series as well.
Includes copies.
Includes copies.