Jean-Baptiste Boussingault
Jean -Baptiste (Joseph Dieudonné ) Boussingault ( born February 2, 1802 in Paris, † May 11, 1887 ) was a French chemist and agricultural scientist.
Life and work
Jean -Baptiste Boussingault, son of a merchant, went after graduating as a mining engineer in 1821 on behalf of an English company to South America. Here he occupied himself primarily with geological investigations. On the recommendation of Alexander von Humboldt, he undertook extensive research trips in South America and gained high academic reputation. His attempt in 1831 to climb the Chimborazo, but failed. In 1832 he returned to France. In 1834 he became professor of chemistry at Lyons, in 1839 he became professor of agricultural and analytical chemistry at the Conservatoire in Paris.
Early as 1836 Boussingault had bought an estate in Pechelbronn / Alsace and there established an agricultural experiment station. Here he worked on problems of animal nutrition and photosynthesis, but above all with questions of soil fertility, crop rotation and fertilization. His special interest was paid to the nitrogen nutrition of the plants.
1837 led Boussingault pot experiments with legumes by. He was able to demonstrate high nitrogen gains in the harvested plant mass without additional nitrogen fertilization. He concluded that the plants absorb during growth of nitrogen from the air. Although he moved away later due to the results of other experiments of this conclusion, again, were his attempts in 1837, the birth of the idea of a biological fixation of atmospheric nitrogen by the plant elemental. Only in 1886 was Hermann Hellriegel prove the correctness of this idea compelling.
But Boussingault was not only an outstanding chemist, but also a practical experienced farmer who managed his estate according to scientific principles. With his book " Économie Rurale ' ( 2 volumes, Paris, 1844 and 1845 ), which was translated into several languages - including a German -language edition was published - he has influenced the development of plant nutrition, soil science and plant production to independent agricultural disciplines term.
1848 Boussingault was elected as a moderate Republican in the National Assembly and dismissed three years later due to his political commitment from the teaching ministry. 1878 was awarded to him for his contributions to the science, the Copley Medal, also the moon crater Boussingault was named after him.
Main work
- The agriculture in its relations with chemistry, physics and meteorology, German -language edition of " Economie Rurale ' translated by N. Graeger. 2 vols Hall in 1844 and 1845; 2nd edition ibid.; Vol 3 1851 u vol 4 = supplement volume also titled contributions to agricultural chemistry and physiology, ibid, 1856.