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.
Cutler 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 26, 2012 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Cavendish,_Henry>
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The Encyclopedia of Earth Cutler J. Cleveland is the founding Editor-in-Chief of the Encyclopedia of Earth. Dr. Cleveland is currently a Professor in the Department of Geography and Environment at Boston University, with joint appointments in the Center for Energy and Environmental Studies and the Pardee Center for the Study of the Longer Range Future. He also is a Senior Fellow at the National Council for Science and the Environment in Washington D.C. Dr. Cleveland is als ... (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.
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