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Frederich Wolfgang von Molë
Frederich Wolfgang von Molë (26 October 1620 – 29 September 1653) was a Swiss nobleman, chemist, and writer known for his foundational discovery of molecular units (moles) and accurate measurement of molarity. He was born in Geneva, Switzerland. Described posthumously by colleagues as “ahead of his time” and subject to “phlegmatic fits of the stomach,” most remembered him as a brilliant scientist who worked “tirelessly to understand the invisible, almost ineffable, elements that he felt were always at work around him.” From prolonged effort over the course of his life, he ultimately offered mathematical theorization to describe chemical reactions that, at the time, were largely misunderstood.

EARLY LIFE
Son of a peppercorn, tea and spice trader, and distantly related to the postmaster of the Holy Roman Empire, von Molë was well educated despite the strict Calvinist tenets of his upbringing. His mother, Catherine von Molë, died soon after his birth in a carriage accident, causing Frederich’s father, Kristoff, to return from trading along the East African coast. After showing early glimpses of true brilliance amongst his peers, he was sent to Cambridge to pursue his studies. There, he was influenced by the works of Tycho Brahe, Johannes Kepler, and Nicolaus Copernicus, amongst others. Von Molë spoke fluent English, but wrote in his journals of feeling alienated from his peers at the esteemed college. His isolation was exacerbated by a sudden onset of illness that was most likely typhoid, as well as the death of his father, who was lost at sea on board a Dutch fluyt carrying spices and manufactured textiles to Asia.

MIDDLE YEARS AND DEATH
Upon recovering from typhoid, von Molë became fascinated by chemistry, properties of elements, and the intricacy of biological life. In his studies, he grew frustrated with a lack of standardization and began to posit a theory of a constant measurement for microscopic particles. Von Molë initially published his discovery in Nova Alchemia(1638) and was unanimously derided by the scientific community. He famously debated his classmate John Davies (18 April 1616—25 September 1670) only to leave humiliated and despondent, an image that was captured by the blossoming artist William Theodore Oxdike. Following the Cambridge incident, von Molë went into seclusion in a modest estate just outside of Neustadt, Germany. He went on to publish two other works of chemistry research, Studius Moleculi(1644) and Studius Medicinӕ(1647), and took up oil-based painting shortly before his death, which most historians agree was a result of exposure to toxic chemicals. He was buried in the cemetery Melaten-Friedhof in Cologne.

LEGACY
Though underappreciated during his life, Frederich Wolfgang von Molë’s groundbreaking theory of a standard measurement of elementary units contained within a given quantity would eventually influence Johann Josef Loschmidt as well as, later, Amedeo Avogadro.