Martin Heinrich Klaproth
Martin Heinrich Klaproth ( born December 1, 1743 Wernigerode, † January 1, 1817 in Berlin) was a German chemist.
Klaproth discovered the elements uranium, zirconium, cerium; the discovery of the elements titanium, tellurium (first presentation ) and strontium he could ( in parallel with Hope) verify. As one of the most respected chemists of his time, he influenced the chemical thinking in Germany. The rejection of the phlogiston theory and the acceptance of the oxidation theory of Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier he supported by corresponding tests (1792 ).
Besides Joseph Louis Proust Klaproth was the analyst in the period before Jons Jacob Berzelius. Klaproth led the scale as a standard analytical tool. Coupled with precise experimental procedure, creative approach in the separation passes and specifying the test results he made himself particularly to the analytical method deserves. In gravimetry, he led the usually dry one to constant weight.
Life
Martin Heinrich Klaproth was born as the child of a poor tailor in Wernigerode.
After the visit of the city school to Wernigerode Klaproth worked for 6 years in the Town Hall Pharmacy in Quedlinburg. Between 1766 and 1771 he was in Hanover ( Hofapotheke ), Berlin ( Mohrenapotheke ) and Gdansk ( Ratsapotheke ) assistant in different pharmacies. During his stay in Berlin he formed at the chemists Johann Heinrich Pott and Andreas Sigismund Marggraf on. 1771 he returned from Gdansk to Berlin and worked in the pharmacy to white swan by Valentin Rose the Elder, with whom he became friends. When Rose died a short time thereafter, Klaproth continued the pharmacy and took over the education of four children of his employer, including Valentin Rose the Younger. To carry out experimental studies he set up a laboratory.
After his marriage to the wealthy Christiane Sophie Lehmann, a niece of the chemist Andreas Sigismund Marggraf, he obtained in 1780 the Bears pharmacy in Berlin, which enjoyed until his departure in 1800 a good reputation.
Then Klaproth worked as an ordinary chemist at the Academy of Sciences and as the successor of Franz Carl Achard. In addition to an official, he worked since 1787 as a professor of chemistry at the Berlin School of Artillery, as a lecturer at the Collegium Medico - chirurgicum and as a teacher of Mining and Metallurgical Institute. In the years 1795-1815 he was six volumes of his " contributions to chemical knowledge of mineral body " out; analysis of minerals was his special love. And the provision of the silver -, copper -, zinc content of metals, and the glass coins analysis was Klaproth interest. He also developed a decomposition method for silicates ( evaporation with potassium hydroxide solution, melt in a silver crucible ). He found phosphates in the urine, clarified the composition of alum, apatite, analyzed Rotkupfererz, Gelbbleierz, aragonite, lepidolite, dolomite, emerald, topaz, garnet and titanite. He first described a series of as yet unknown or inaccurate been associated compounds and carried out a lot of new precise qualitative and quantitative analyzes. He was very accurate and precise descriptions of experiments, even with information about possible sources of error. Virtually at the same time he amassed a huge collection of minerals, which included 4828 pieces at the end of his life and was purchased after his death by the University of Berlin.
In 1810 he received the proposal of Alexander von Humboldt an appointment as professor of chemistry at the newly founded University of Berlin. As a successor in the chair of chemistry Jöns Jacob Berzelius was proposed, but turned down and suggested instead of his young Eilhard Mitscherlich.
1817 Klaproth died on New Year's of a stroke. He was buried at the cemetery Dorotheenstädtischer. The tomb is located in the department CAL G2.
Klaproth son Julius Klaproth was active against the will of the Father as Orientalist and explorer.
In 1776, Klaproth was Freemasons, and "Zur Eintracht " was added to the Berlin Masonic Lodge. He served in the Prussian Grand Lodge "One of the Three Globes ," the office of the " National Grand Master ".
The lunar crater Klaproth named after him. Berlin, memorial stele for Martin Heinrich Klaproth, TU Berlin campus, Artist: Ralf Sander, situated on 25 June 1996
Services
- Discovery of several chemical elements
- Incidence Rich analyst
- Co-editor of various journals
- Discovery of mellitic ( benzenehexacarboxylic )
- First description of the mineral natrolite
- Phosphorus as the cause of the brittleness of the iron (along with Meyer)
- Calcite and aragonite have the same composition ( dimorphism? )
- Barium as disintegrating agents in the analysis of silicates
Writings
- Chemical investigation of the mineral springs to Carlsbad. Berlin 1790 ( digitized version of the Kiel University Library )
- Contributions to chemical knowledge of the mineral body, ( 6 volumes ), Berlin from 1795 to 1815. Digitized edition of the University and State Library Dusseldorf, Volumes 1; 2; 3; 4; 5
- Chemical treatises mixed content. Nicolai, Berlin [ ua] 1815 Digitized edition of the University and State Library Dusseldorf
- Chemical Dictionary, along with Wolff, (5 volumes), 1807-1810 ( digitized ) 1 A - D. 1807
- 2 E - J. 1807
- 3 K - O. 1808
- 4 P - Sch. 1809
- 5 Se - Z. 1810
- Suppl 1 1816
- Suppl 2 1816
- Suppl 3 1817
- 4 Suppl 1819