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Reinitzer

Friedrich Reinitzer was an Austrian botanist and chemist best known for his role in the discovery of liquid crystals. In 1888, while studying cholesteryl benzoate, he observed an unusual two-stage melting behavior: the substance did not melt directly into a uniform liquid; instead it first formed an anisotropic liquid phase and then, at a higher temperature, became isotropic liquid. This phenomenon, now called the Reinitzer phenomenon, provided the first evidence of mesophases between solid and liquid states.

Reinitzer communicated his results to Otto Lehmann, a physicist who specialized in the study of condensed matter.

Today, the study of liquid crystals traces back to Reinitzer's report and Lehmann's interpretation, influencing the

Lehmann's
subsequent
experiments
and
theoretical
work
helped
to
interpret
the
liquid-crystalline
phase
and
led
to
the
coining
of
the
term
liquid
crystal
and
the
establishment
of
a
new
field
of
study.
The
Reinitzer
phenomenon
is
regarded
as
the
foundational
observation
upon
which
modern
liquid-crystal
science
was
built.
development
of
display
technologies
and
a
broad
range
of
materials
science
applications.
Reinitzer's
contribution
remains
a
milestone
in
the
understanding
of
phase
behavior
in
organic
compounds.