He was born in
Berlin on 18 January 1861. He was a student of
Robert Bunsen. His father,
Theodor Goldschmidt, was the founder of the chemical company
Chemische Fabrik Th. Goldschmidt in
Essen which eventually became part of the modern company
Degussa, and Hans and his brother Karl Hering managed this company for many years. He is principally noted as the co-inventor of
sodium amalgam and the initial
patent holder of the
thermite reaction. The thermite (or aluminothermic) reaction is one in which aluminium is oxidized by an oxide of another metal, usually iron oxide, producing great heat in the process. Goldschmidt was originally interested in producing very pure metals by avoiding the use of
carbon in
smelting, but he soon realized the value in
welding, a process known as
thermic welding. It is also used in incendiary devices. This process is sometimes called the "Goldschmidt reaction" or "Goldschmidt process", because he furthered its development and patented it in 1895. He also went on to publish an extensive paper on it in 1898. He died on 21 May 1923. ==Legacy==