Cavendish, Henry
Published: August 28, 2006, 10:05 pm
Updated: August 28, 2006, 10:05 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Tom Lawrence
Henry Cavendish (1731-1810), an English chemist and physicist who first isolated several key chemical compounds. In 1766, he published a paper titled Three Papers containing Experiments on Factitious Airs in which he identified what he called "inflammable air" (later termed hydrogen by Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier) and "fixed air" (or carbon dioxide) as substances that should be distinguised from air. In 1783 he demonstrated that the composition of air was constant regardless of the geographic region or altitude sampled. Cavendish discovered nitric acid (HNO3) and proved that water was not an element but was, rather, made up of gases. Cavendish also used a sensitive torsion balance (the Cavendish balance) to measure the value of the gravitational constant, G. This allowed him to calculate the mass of the Earth. Henry Cavendish published his findings only sporadically, thus leaving some of his significant discoveries unknown until long after his death.
Further Reading
Biography of Henry Cavendish (Eric Weisstein's World of Science: A Wolfram Web Resource)
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Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Tom Lawrence (Topic Editor) "Cavendish, Henry". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth August 28, 2006; Last revised Date August 28, 2006; Retrieved May 23, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Cavendish,_Henry>
The Author
Cutler J. Cleveland is Professor of Earth and Environment at Boston University, where he also is on the faculty of the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies. Professor Cleveland is Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Energy (Elsevier, 2004), winner of an American Library Association award, the Dictionary of Energy (Elsevier, 2005), Handbook of Energy (Elsevier, forthcoming), and is the Founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. He is the recipient of the Adelma ... (Full Bio)
Henry Cavendish (1731-1810), an English chemist and physicist who first isolated several key chemical compounds. In 1766, he published a paper titled Three Papers containing Experiments on Factitious Airs in which he identified what he called "inflammable air" (later termed hydrogen by Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier) and "fixed air" (or carbon dioxide) as substances that should be distinguised from air. In 1783 he demonstrated that the composition of air was constant regardless of the geographic region or altitude sampled. Cavendish discovered nitric acid (HNO3) and proved that water was not an element but was, rather, made up of gases. Cavendish also used a sensitive torsion balance (the Cavendish balance) to measure the value of the gravitational constant, G. This allowed him to calculate the mass of the Earth. Henry Cavendish published his findings only sporadically, thus leaving some of his significant discoveries unknown until long after his death.
Further Reading
Biography of Henry Cavendish (Eric Weisstein's World of Science: A Wolfram Web Resource)
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