Hugo Bondy (1900–1985): an Austrian scientist of mass spectrometry in the twentieth century

Abstract

Hugo Bondy (1900–1985), a fairly unknown Austrian scientist working in academia in the twentieth century made important contributions to the development of double-focusing sector field mass spectrometers. This article describes his life and scientific contributions in a fascinating biography meriting his achievements in the development and construction of new mass spectrometers. The article divides into three sections according to Bondy’s biography. In the first section, his education, career in academia, and research in mass spectrometry are displayed. The second section reconstructs his expulsion from the university, his persecution and resistance in the Nazi era, and his failed attempt to be reinstated at his position as a scientist. In the third and last section, Bondy’s career in the Austrian Federal Ministry of Education is depicted by focusing on his youth work, a controversy of his political affiliations, and his accomplishments and character in the civil service. Bondy’s life is taken as an example to uncover the process of exclusion in science with all its consequences. But also, the ethical aspects of science for education and the application of a scientific attitude to society are revealed by his actions. Graphical abstract