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'''Martin Heinrich Klaproth''' (1 December 1743 – 1 January 1817) was the leading German [[chemist]] of his time.<ref name="NNDB"/> He discovered [[uranium]] (1789), [[zirconium]] (1789),<ref name="NNDB">{{cite web |title=Martin Heinrich Klaproth |url=https://www.nndb.com/people/533/000097242/ |website=NNDB Tracking the entire world |accessdate=8 December 2019}}</ref> and [[cerium]] (1803), and named [[titanium]] (1795) and [[tellurium]] (1798).
'''Martin Heinrich Klaproth''' (1 December 1743 – 1 January 1817) was the leading German [[chemist]] of his time.<ref name="NNDB"/> He trained and worked for much of his life as an apothecary. His shop became the second-largest apothecary in Berlin, and the most productive artisanal chemical research center in Europe.<ref name="Klein"/>

He discovered [[uranium]] (1789) and [[zirconium]] (1789),<ref name="NNDB">{{cite web |title=Martin Heinrich Klaproth |url=https://www.nndb.com/people/533/000097242/ |website=NNDB Tracking the entire world |accessdate=8 December 2019}}</ref> and [[cerium]] (1803), and named [[titanium]] (1795) and [[tellurium]] (1798). He was a member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences and recognized internationally as a member of the Royal Society in London, the Institute of France, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.<ref name="Today"/>


==Biography==
==Biography==
Klaproth was born in [[Wernigerode]].<ref name="NNDB"/> He was the son of a [[tailor]], and attended the Latin school at Wernigerode for four years.<ref name="Klein"/>
Klaproth was born in [[Wernigerode]].<ref name="NNDB"/> For much of his life he followed the profession of an [[apothecary]]. After acting as assistant in pharmacies at [[Quedlinburg]], [[Hanover]], Berlin and [[Danzig]] successively he came to Berlin on the death of [[Valentin Rose the Elder]] in 1771 as manager of his business. In 1780 he started an establishment on his own account in the same city, where from 1782 he was pharmaceutical assessor of the Ober-Collegium Medicum.

For much of his life he followed the profession of [[apothecary]]. In 1759, 16 years old, he apprenticed at Quedlinburg. In 1764 he became a journeyman. He trained in pharmacies at [[Quedlinburg]] (1759-1766), [[Hanover]] (1766-1768, with [[August Hermann Brande]], Berlin (1768-) and [[Danzig]] (1770).<ref name="Klein"/>

In 1771 Klaproth returned to Berlin to work for [[Valentin Rose the Elder]] as manager of his business. Following Rose's death, Klaproth passed the required examinations to become manager. Following his marriage in 1780, he was able to buy his own establishment, the Apotheke zum Baren. Between 1782 and 1800, Klaproth published 84 papers based on his research in the shop's laboratory. His shop was the most productive site of artisanal chemistry investigations in Europe at that time.<ref name="Klein">{{cite book |editor-last1=Principe |editor-first1=Lawrence M. |last=Klein |first=Ursula|chapter= Apothecary-Chemists in Eighteenth-Century Germany |title=New narratives in eighteenth-century chemistry : contributions from the First Francis Bacon Workshop, 21-23 April 2005, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California |date=2007 |publisher=Springer |isbn=978-9048175932 |pages=97-137 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aurJv9AZgFcC&pg=PA125 |accessdate=8 December 2019}}</ref>

Beginning in 1782, he was the assessor of pharmacy for the examining board of the Ober-Collegium Medicum. In 1787 Klaproth was appointed lecturer in [[chemistry]] to the [[Prussia]]n Royal Artillery, and when the [[Humboldt University of Berlin|university]] was founded in 1810 he was selected to be the professor of chemistry.<ref name="Partington">{{cite book |last1=Partington |first1=J. R. |title=History of Chemistry |date=1962 |publisher=Macmillan |location=London |pages=654-658|volume=3 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n1JdDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA654 |accessdate=8 December 2019}}</ref>


He died in Berlin on New Year's Day in 1817.
In 1787 he was appointed lecturer in [[chemistry]] to the [[Prussia]]n Royal Artillery, and when the [[Humboldt University of Berlin|university]] was founded in 1810 he was selected to be the professor of chemistry. He died in Berlin on New Year's Day in 1817.


[[File:Klaproth-tomb.JPG|thumb|200px|Memorial plate on the Dorotheenstädtischer Friedhof in Berlin, by [[Ralf Sander]].]]
[[File:Klaproth-tomb.JPG|thumb|200px|Memorial plate on the Dorotheenstädtischer Friedhof in Berlin, by [[Ralf Sander]].]]


An exact and conscientious worker, he did much to improve and systematise the processes of [[analytical chemistry]] and [[mineralogy]]. His appreciation of the value of quantitative methods led him to become one of the earliest adherents of the [[Lavoisier]]ian doctrines outside France.
An exact and conscientious worker, he did much to improve and systematise the processes of [[analytical chemistry]] and [[mineralogy]]. His appreciation of the value of quantitative methods led him to become one of the earliest adherents of the [[Lavoisier]]ian doctrines outside France.<ref name="Partington"/>


Klaproth found the element [[titanium]] in the ore [[rutile]] in 1791, believing it to be a new discovery. However, [[William Gregor]] is credited with the discovery of [[titanium]], having found the metal in a different ore, ([[ilmenite]]), before Klaproth, although in the same year.
Klaproth found the element [[titanium]] in the ore [[rutile]] in 1791, believing it to be a new discovery. However, [[William Gregor]] is credited with the discovery of [[titanium]], having found the metal in a different ore, ([[ilmenite]]), before Klaproth, although in the same year.
Line 55: Line 63:


Klaproth was elected a [[Fellow of the Royal Society]] in 1795 and a foreign member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]] in 1804.
Klaproth was elected a [[Fellow of the Royal Society]] in 1795 and a foreign member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]] in 1804.
He was a member of the Royal Society of London, the Institute of France, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.<ref name="Today">{{cite journal |title=Martin Klaproth |journal=Physics Today |date=1 December 2017 |doi=10.1063/PT.6.6.20171201a |url=https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/pt.6.6.20171201a/full/}}</ref>


The crater [[Klaproth (crater)|Klaproth]] on the [[Moon]] is named after him.
The crater [[Klaproth (crater)|Klaproth]] on the [[Moon]] is named after him.

Revision as of 13:41, 8 December 2019

Martin Klaproth
Martin Heinrich Klaproth
Born(1743-12-01)1 December 1743
Wernigerode
Died1 January 1817(1817-01-01) (aged 73)
Berlin, Prussia
NationalityGerman
CitizenshipWernigerode
Known forDiscovery of uranium, zirconium, cerium
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry

Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1 December 1743 – 1 January 1817) was the leading German chemist of his time.[1] He trained and worked for much of his life as an apothecary. His shop became the second-largest apothecary in Berlin, and the most productive artisanal chemical research center in Europe.[2]

He discovered uranium (1789) and zirconium (1789),[1] and cerium (1803), and named titanium (1795) and tellurium (1798). He was a member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences and recognized internationally as a member of the Royal Society in London, the Institute of France, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.[3]

Biography

Klaproth was born in Wernigerode.[1] He was the son of a tailor, and attended the Latin school at Wernigerode for four years.[2]

For much of his life he followed the profession of apothecary. In 1759, 16 years old, he apprenticed at Quedlinburg. In 1764 he became a journeyman. He trained in pharmacies at Quedlinburg (1759-1766), Hanover (1766-1768, with August Hermann Brande, Berlin (1768-) and Danzig (1770).[2]

In 1771 Klaproth returned to Berlin to work for Valentin Rose the Elder as manager of his business. Following Rose's death, Klaproth passed the required examinations to become manager. Following his marriage in 1780, he was able to buy his own establishment, the Apotheke zum Baren. Between 1782 and 1800, Klaproth published 84 papers based on his research in the shop's laboratory. His shop was the most productive site of artisanal chemistry investigations in Europe at that time.[2]

Beginning in 1782, he was the assessor of pharmacy for the examining board of the Ober-Collegium Medicum. In 1787 Klaproth was appointed lecturer in chemistry to the Prussian Royal Artillery, and when the university was founded in 1810 he was selected to be the professor of chemistry.[4]

He died in Berlin on New Year's Day in 1817.

Memorial plate on the Dorotheenstädtischer Friedhof in Berlin, by Ralf Sander.

An exact and conscientious worker, he did much to improve and systematise the processes of analytical chemistry and mineralogy. His appreciation of the value of quantitative methods led him to become one of the earliest adherents of the Lavoisierian doctrines outside France.[4]

Klaproth found the element titanium in the ore rutile in 1791, believing it to be a new discovery. However, William Gregor is credited with the discovery of titanium, having found the metal in a different ore, (ilmenite), before Klaproth, although in the same year.

Klaproth was the first to discover uranium while studying the mineral pitchblende.[5]

In addition, he discovered zirconium, and characterised uranium and zirconium as distinct elements, though he did not obtain any of them in the pure metallic state.

He clarified the composition of numerous substances until then imperfectly known, including compounds of then newly recognised elements tellurium, strontium, cerium and chromium.

His over 200 papers were collected by himself in Beiträge zur chemischen Kenntnis der Mineralkörper (5 vols., 1795–1810) and Chemische Abhandlungen gemischten Inhalts (1815). He also published a Chemisches Wörterbuch (1807–1810), and edited a revised edition of F. A. C. Gren's Handbuch der Chemie (1806).

Klaproth was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1795 and a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1804. He was a member of the Royal Society of London, the Institute of France, and the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.[3]

The crater Klaproth on the Moon is named after him.

His son Julius was a famous orientalist.[6]

Works

Bibliography

Resources

  • Hoppe, G; Damaschun F; Wappler G (April 1987). "[An appreciation of Martin Heinrich Klaproth as a mineral chemist]". Pharmazie. 42 (4): 266–7. PMID 3303064.
  • Sepke, H; Sepke I (August 1986). "[The history of physiologic chemistry in the first years of its existence at the Berlin University. Contributions of the chemist M. H. Klaproth and others]". Zeitschrift für die gesamte Hygiene und ihre Grenzgebiete. 32 (8): 504–6. PMID 3535265.
  • Rocchietta, S (February 1967). "[The pharmacist Martin Klaproth (1743–1817), pioneer of modern analytical chemistry, discoverer of uranium. On the 150th anniversary of his death]". Minerva Med. 58 (13): 229. PMID 5336711.
  • Dann, G E (July 1958). "[Scheele & Klaproth; a comparison.]". Svensk farmaceutisk tidskrift. 62 (19–20): 433–7. PMID 13580811.
  • Dann, G E (September 1953). "[Contribution of Martin Heinrich Klaproth to the development of chemistry.]". Pharmazie. 8 (9): 771–9. PMID 13120350.
  • Walravens, H (2006). "Julius Klaproth. His Life and Works with Special Emphasis on Japan" (PDF). Japonica Humboldtiana. 10: 177–191.


References

  1. ^ a b c "Martin Heinrich Klaproth". NNDB Tracking the entire world. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d Klein, Ursula (2007). "Apothecary-Chemists in Eighteenth-Century Germany". In Principe, Lawrence M. (ed.). New narratives in eighteenth-century chemistry : contributions from the First Francis Bacon Workshop, 21-23 April 2005, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California. Springer. pp. 97–137. ISBN 978-9048175932. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Martin Klaproth". Physics Today. 1 December 2017. doi:10.1063/PT.6.6.20171201a.
  4. ^ a b Partington, J. R. (1962). History of Chemistry. Vol. 3. London: Macmillan. pp. 654–658. Retrieved 8 December 2019.
  5. ^ Klaproth, M. H. (1789). "Chemische Untersuchung des Uranits, einer neuentdeckten metallische Substanz". Chem. Ann. Freunde Naturl. (2): 387–403.
  6. ^ Walravens, H (2006). "Julius Klaproth. His Life and Works with Special Emphasis on Japan" (PDF). Japonica Humboldtiana. 10: 177–191.

 This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Klaproth, Martin Heinrich". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 15 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. pp. 844–845.

External links

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