Ignaz Kreidl (December 11, 1869 – May 21, 1947) was a chemist and industrialist living in Vienna, Austria. He held numerous patents related to the production and use of rare earths and the production of glass, enamels, and synthetic resins. In addition to founding the chemical company Vereinigte Chemischen Fabriken (VCF), he became a major shareholder in J. Schreiber & Neffen, a leading glass manufacturer. In the 1930s Kreidl became a target of the National Socialists. During the Anschluss his wife Eva died, and his possessions were confiscated. Kreidl and his three sons were able to leave Austria and emigrate to the United States. After the end of World War II they were able to reclaim some of his business assets.
Early life Ignaz Kreidl was born on December 11, 1869, in Gratzen, Austria-Hungary (now Nové Hrady in the Czech Republic).
Education Kreidl became a student at the University of Vienna, and worked as an assistant to Adolf Lieben. He obtained his degree in 1892. In 1891, while still a student, Kreidl began working with Carl Auer von Welsbach to produce a newer design for the gas mantle which was used for street lights. They formed a company which specialized in the use of rare earths in glassmaking. Rare earths such as cerium, neodymium and praseodymium are used for polishing glass, for the creation of specific colors and visual effects, and for optical properties which they can impart to glass. Kreidl rose from the position of research chemist to research manager and co-manager of production at the Welsbach company. By 1906, Kreidl was unhappy in the position and sought new opportunities.
Life in Vienna
A family in business The Kreidl and Heller families were closely connected. Ignaz' sister Mathilde (1868–1926) was married to industrialist Gustav Heller (1857–1937). In 1908, Ignaz Kreidl and Gustav Heller formed the Kreidl and Heller company. On October 1, 1910, "Dr. Kreidl und Heller" (shareholders: Gustav Heller and Ignaz Kreidl) merged with another producer of chemical products, "Landau & Co" (shareholders: Horace Landau and Karl Rosenzweig) to form "Vereinigte Chemischen Fabriken, Kreidl, Heller & Co." (VCF). As of 1912, the company's address was XXI Sebastian-Kohlgasse 5-9, Vienna, Austria, then part of Austria-Hungary. VCF was involved in the production of rare earths, which were used to create glass, enamels, and synthetic resins. Kreidl led a strong research program that resulted in the registration of a number of patents relating to the production of resins, glass, and enamels. These included processes such as the manufacturing of opaquing agents for white enamel, which could be used in dentistry. The company was also active in other areas. It made agricultural products such as sulfur-based weed sprays to combat pests in orchards, vineyards and gardens. It produced salts for pickling and canning. It also produced saccharin, under the brand name "Kandisin". Among Kreidl's many patents are a number relating to the use of saccharin by diabetics. The company even published a cookbook of saccharine recipes, Mein 'süßes' Kochbuch. Die Verwendung von Süßstoff, Tabletten-, und Kristallsüßstoff und Kandiset für Speisen und Getränke jeder Art (My "sweet" cookbook. The use of sweetener, tablet, and crystal sweetener and candy for food and drinks of any kind). Ignaz Kreidl was a highly respected scientist and industrialist. He held over two hundred patents, in multiple countries, in the areas of glass, resins, plastics, photochemical processing, enamel ware and porcelain enamels. He funded scholarships at the Institute for Radium Research, Vienna, supporting students such as Elizabeth Rona.
A family of scientists Ignaz Kreidl had three sons by his first wife, Hilda (d. 1921): Norbert J. Kreidl (1904–1994), Werner H. Kreidl (1906–1989), and Ekkehard L. Kreidl (1910–1977). Werner studied chemistry; Norbert majored in physics with a minor in chemistry; and Ekkehard became a physicist. Werner worked with Ignaz at the Vereinigten Chemischen Fabriken, Kreidl, Heller & Co., in Vienna, and was trained to become his successor. Norbert J. Kreidl entered the University of Vienna as a chemistry student, but soon joined physicist Otto Pettersson at the Institute for Radium Research, Vienna. Norbert Kreidl completed his doctorate in physics with a minor in chemistry, receiving degrees in 1925 and 1927. He then spent a post-doctoral year at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute in Berlin with Woldemar Weyl. Ignaz Kreidl had acquired a major interest in one of the most prestigious Czechoslovak glass manufacturers in Europe, J. Schreiber & Neffen. Schreiber's had factories in Rapotín, Moravia and in Lednické Rovne, Slovakia. Its central office was in Vienna until 1919. After World War I ended, and the Austro-Hungarian Empire dissolved, the head office was moved to Rapotín to satisfy the government of Czechoslovakia. The company employed over 1,100 skilled workers, many from traditional glassmaking families. Norbert Kreidl was sent to manage the Schreiber Glassworks and started a research laboratory, the Glass Research Institute, in Hradec Králové, Czechoslovakia. There he met and married a granddaughter of the glassworks' founding family, Melanie Schreiber.
Austria and National Socialism
Between the wars The inter-war period was a time of considerable economic instability. Creditanstalt-Weiner Bankverein (CA), the major bank in Austria, managed to survive World War I, the breakup of the Austro-Hungarian Empire, a world-wide financial crisis during the Great Depression, and two rounds of government-related reorganization in 1931 and 1933. In 1913 CA was effectively a multi-national, with interests in 102 companies that included banking, insurance, natural resources, manufacturing, and industry. By 1934, it had become "Austrified". It was primarily owned by the Austrian state, to service the Austrian economy and business interests. There had been significant turnover among its leadership. The Chancellor of Austria, among others, made Jews a convenient scapegoat for the economic crash, and institutions were being "Aryanized" by firing Jewish personnel.
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