Klaproth, Martin Heinrich
Published: January 26, 2009, 3:34 pm
Updated: January 26, 2009, 3:34 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Peter Saundry
Klaproth (Source: WISC)
Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1734-1817), a German chemist who discovered and helped verify many important chemical elements, including uranium and zirconium. In 1789, Klaproth dissolved pitchblende, primarily an ore of iron and zinc, in nitric acid. When neutralized by potash, a yellow precipitate revealed the presence of new earth that must contain a new element. Klaproth named the new element uranium after the planet Uranus that had been discovered by William Herschel eight years earlier, named after Uranos, the Greek god of the heavens. Klaproth also discovered zirconium (1789), strontium (1793), titanium (1795), chromium (1797), tellurium (1789), and cerium (1803). Klaproth published actual weights of samples and precipitates so any errors were apparent, and he addressed sources of errors by developing procedures to purify reagents, avoid contamination from apparatus, and introduced drying samples until constant weight was obtained. Klaproth’s experimental methods added rigor to the field of chemistry.
Further Reading
The Elements: Names and Origins (BBC Online)
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Citation
Cutler J. Cleveland (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Klaproth, Martin Heinrich". 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 January 26, 2009; Last revised Date January 26, 2009; Retrieved May 25, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Klaproth,_Martin_Heinrich>
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)
Klaproth (Source: WISC)
Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1734-1817), a German chemist who discovered and helped verify many important chemical elements, including uranium and zirconium. In 1789, Klaproth dissolved pitchblende, primarily an ore of iron and zinc, in nitric acid. When neutralized by potash, a yellow precipitate revealed the presence of new earth that must contain a new element. Klaproth named the new element uranium after the planet Uranus that had been discovered by William Herschel eight years earlier, named after Uranos, the Greek god of the heavens. Klaproth also discovered zirconium (1789), strontium (1793), titanium (1795), chromium (1797), tellurium (1789), and cerium (1803). Klaproth published actual weights of samples and precipitates so any errors were apparent, and he addressed sources of errors by developing procedures to purify reagents, avoid contamination from apparatus, and introduced drying samples until constant weight was obtained. Klaproth’s experimental methods added rigor to the field of chemistry.
Further Reading
The Elements: Names and Origins (BBC Online)
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