Friedrich Oskar Giesel | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 20 May 1852 |
| Died | 13 November 1927 (aged 75) |
| Nationality | German |
| Known for | discovery of actinium |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | radiochemistry |
Friedrich Oskar Giesel (20 May 1852 – 13 November 1927, known as Fritz) was a German organic chemist. During his work in a quinine factory in the late 1890s, he started to work on the at-that-time-new field of radiochemistry and started the production of radium. In the period between 1902 and 1904, he was able to isolate a new element emanium. In a now controversially reviewed process, it was stated that emanium is identical to actinium, which was discovered by André-Louis Debierne in 1899.