Andreas Artsruni
Exploring the structures of crystals and the mineral wealth of the Earth
Andreas Artsruni was a mineralogist, crystallographer and geologist of Armenian origin. His career connected field research in the Caucasus with European university science. From 1884 until his death, he taught at the technical college in Aachen.
Artsruni studied relationships between the chemical composition, physical properties and crystal structures of minerals. His important works include Physical Chemistry of Crystals, published in 1893. He combined scientific research with teaching and the study of mineral collections.
He took part in geological expeditions and investigated rocks and mineral resources in several regions. The mineral arzrunite was named in his honour. His legacy belongs to the development of mineralogy and crystal chemistry, and to the effort to understand the properties of materials as connected aspects of a whole.