Christian Gmelin

In 1818, Gmelin was one of the first to observe that lithium salts give a bright red color in a flame.

In 1826, Jean-Baptiste Guimet was credited with having devised a process for the artificial manufacture of ultramarine.

Two years later, in 1828, Gmelin published his own process for the artificial manufacture of ultramarine.

In his publication, Gmelin stated that silica, alumina, and soda are the main constituents of ultramarine and the rich color comes from sulfur.

[1] Gmelin died in Tübingen, Germany,[2] where he spent his entire life, on May 13, 1860.