Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin

Louis -Nicolas Vauquelin ( born May 16, 1763 in Saint -André- d'Hébertot (Normandy), † November 14, 1829 ) was a French apothecary and chemist.

Life

L.-N. Vauquelin was the son of Nicolas Vauquelin (1729-1782) and his wife Catherine le Chartier ( 1728-1820 ). His younger brother was Jean Nicolas Vauquelin ( 1765-1815 ). Already in his early childhood and youth he worked as a farm laborer on a farm, which his father managed.

His first acquaintance with chemistry made ​​Vauquelin in a pharmacy in Rouen, where he worked from 1777 to 1779 as a laboratory assistant and a pharmacist graduated from teaching. After several changes, he was from 1783 to 1791 assistant to the chemist Antoine François de Fourcroy. Initially published Vauquelin publications than those of his superiors, later making note of both names. From 1790 Vauquelin published under his own name. By the year 1833 376 publications appear. They usually describe complex separation transitions and analysis. With the variety of the investigated substances, it is surprising that Vauquelin discovered only two chemical elements, beryllium and chromium. In November 1829 Vauquelin died during a visit to his hometown.

Work

Due to its analytical and preparative work Vauquelin enriched the chemistry and mineralogy of his time. In addition to Joseph Louis Gay -Lussac, Claude Louis Berthollet, and Antoine François Henri Descroizilles (1751-1825) he was one of the pioneers of titrimetry. Also gravimetry as an analytical method, he helped alongside Martin Heinrich Klaproth and Richard Kirwan to new reputation. It was important, above all, his " Beschreibungswut " with which he quickly spread knowledge and methods and made comprehensible. 1797 Vauquelin discovered independently by Klaproth the element chromium in the red lead ore ( Krokoit ), a Siberian ore Preparative work for the representation of chromium compounds such as potassium dichromate and chromate followed. A year later he showed that beryl contains the new element beryllium. Together with Fourcroy he examined Rohplatinerz. However, they came Smithson Tennant in the discovery of osmium and iridium before.

In addition to important mineralogical studies, the isolation of hippuric acid (1797 ), the urea from Tierharn (1800), the asparagine from asparagus he succeeded (1805 together with Robiquet ), the quinic acid ( 1,3,4,5 - Tetrahydroxycyclohexancarbonsäure ) from cinchona (1806 ) ( other sources say: Hoffmann ) and the fumaric and maleic acid ( 1817). Together with Jöns Jacob Berzelius he determined the composition of the carbon disulfide by Wilhelm August Lampadius first produced in 1796 (CS2 ).

Works (selection)

  • Instruction sur la combustion en vegetaux. 1794 ( Analysis of tobacco residue )
  • Manuel de l' essayeur, tour in 1799 and 1812.
  • Dictionnaire de chimie et de metallurgy. , 1815.
  • Thesis sur le oprations chimiques et pharmaceutiques. In 1820.
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