Batek, Alexander

Some facts of Batek s life and work and his relation to Brauner were taken from Batek s memoirs, Alexandr Sommer Batek, Jakjsem padesat let zil a pracoval [Fifty years of my life and work], (Praha Koci,1925), and the article Petr Slavfcek, Vzpominka na da Vinciho ceske chemie [Remembrance of the da Vinci of the Czech chemistry], Chemicke Listy 102 (2008) 465-466. Alexander (or Alexandr) Batek later adopted the maiden surname of his mother Sommer and became known as Sommer Batek. 

Batek became later known as writer of popular chemistry and fantasy books, author of various weird inventions, spiritualist and pacifist. He also passionately opposed the atomic theory see Alexander Batek, Fikce atomu a molekuly [The fiction of the atom and molecule], Chemicke listy pro vedu a prumysl 7 (1913) 333-335. 

Alexander Batek, Navrh k oprave cesk ho ndzvoslovi chemickdho [Proposal of the correction of the Czech chemical nomenclature], Listy cliemfclc 24(1900) 225-226. 

Popular rumor said that Brauner s opposition against the new chemical nomenclature was also motivated by his lifelong animosity against his former protegd Alexander Batek. 

---