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Martin Heinrich Klaproth
German chemist

Martin Heinrich Klaproth (1743–1817) was a renowned German chemist and apothecary who transformed his Berlin shop into a leading chemical research center. A pioneer in analytical chemistry and inventor of gravimetric analysis, Klaproth improved laboratory techniques through meticulous attention to detail. He discovered elements including uranium and zirconium in 1789, and contributed to the discovery of titanium, strontium, cerium, and chromium. He confirmed earlier finds of tellurium and beryllium. Klaproth was a director of the Berlin Academy of Sciences and a member of distinguished institutions including the Royal Society and the Institut de France.

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Career

Klaproth was born in Wernigerode.13 He was the son of a tailor, and attended the Latin school at Wernigerode for four years.14

For much of his life he followed the profession of apothecary. In 1759, when he was 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).15

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 senior 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 researches carried out in the Apotheke's laboratory. His shop was the most productive site of artisanal chemistry investigations in Europe at that time.16

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.171819

In 1788, Klaproth became an unsalaried member of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. In 1800, he became the salaried director of the Berlin Academy of Sciences. He sold the apothecary and moved to the academy, where he convinced the university to build a new laboratory. Upon completion in 1802, Klaproth moved the equipment from his apothecary laboratory into the new building.20 When the University of Berlin was founded in 1810 he was selected to be the professor of chemistry.21

He died in Berlin on New Year's Day in 1817.22

Contributions

An exact and conscientious worker, Klaproth 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.2324

Klaproth was the first to discover uranium, identifying it first in torbernite but doing the majority of his research on it with the mineral pitchblende.2526 On 24 September 1789 he announced his discovery to the Royal Prussian Academy of sciences in Berlin.2728 He also discovered zirconium in 1789,2930 separating it in the form of its "earth" zirconia, oxide ZrO2.31 Klaproth analyzed a brightly-colored form of the mineral called "hyacinth" from Ceylon. He gave the new element the name zirconium based on its Persian name "zargun", gold-colored.32: 515 

Klaproth characterised uranium and zirconium as distinct elements, though he was unable to isolate them.33

Klaproth independently discovered cerium (1803), a rare earth element, around the same time as Jöns Jacob Berzelius and Wilhelm Hisinger, in the winter of 1803.34

William Gregor of Cornwall was the first to identify the element titanium in 1791, correctly concluding that he had found a new element in the ore ilmenite from the Menachan valley. He proposed the name "menachanite", but his discovery attracted little attention.35: 497  Klaproth verified the presence of an oxide of an unknown element in the ore rutile from Hungary in 1795. Klaproth suggested the name "titanium". It was later determined that menachanite and titanium were the same element, from two different minerals, and Klaproth's name was adopted.36

Klaproth clarified the composition of numerous substances until then imperfectly known, including compounds of then newly recognised elements tellurium, strontium and chromium. 37 Chromium was discovered in 1797 by Louis Nicolas Vauquelin and independently discovered in 1798 by Klaproth and by Tobias Lowitz, in a mineral from the Ural mountains.38: 578–580  Klaproth confirmed chromium's independent status as an element.39404142

The existence of tellurium was first suggested in 1783 by Franz-Joseph Mueller von Reichenstein, an Austrian mining engineer who was examining Transylvanian gold samples. Tellurium was also discovered independently by Hungarian Pál Kitaibel in 1789. Mueller sent some of his mineral to Klaproth in 1796. Klaproth isolated the new substance and confirmed the identification of the new element tellurium in 1798. He credited Mueller as its discoverer, and suggested that the heavy metal be named "tellus", Latin for 'earth'.4344454647: 1067 48: 12–16 

In 1790 Adair Crawford and William Cruickshank determined that the mineral strontianite, found near Strontian in Scotland, was different from barium-based minerals.49 Klaproth was one of several scientists involved in the characterization of strontium compounds and minerals.50 Klaproth, Thomas Charles Hope, and Richard Kirwan independently studied and reported on the properties of strontianite, the preparation of compounds of strontium, and their differentiation from those of barium. In September 1793, Klaproth published on the separation of strontium from barium, and in 1794 on the preparation of strontium oxide and strontium hydroxide.5152 In 1808, Humphry Davy became the first to successfully isolate the pure element.5354

Louis Nicolas Vauquelin reported the existence of a new element common to emerald and beryl in 1798, and suggested that it be named "glucine". Klaproth confirmed the presence of a new element, and became involved in a lengthy and ongoing debate over its name by suggesting "beryllia". The element was first isolated in 1828, independently by Friedrich Wöhler and Antoine Bussy. Only in 1949 did IUPAC rule exclusively in favor of the name beryllium.555657: 348–352 5859

Klaproth published extensively, collecting over 200 papers 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 became a foreign member of the Royal Society of London60 in 1795,61 and a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1804.62 He also belonged to the Institut de France.63

The crater Klaproth on the Moon is named after him.64

In 1823, botanist Carl Sigismund Kunth published a genus of flowering plants (belonging to the family Loasaceae), from Central America as Klaprothia in his honour.65

His son Julius was a famous orientalist.66

Works

Bibliography

Additional 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. (in Italian). 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.

See also

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References

  1. Dann, Georg Edmund (1977). "Klaproth, Martin Heinrich". Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German). Vol. 11. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot. pp. 707–709. (full text online). https://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/0001/bsb00016328/images/index.html?seite=713

  2. 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. 978-9048175932

  3. 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. (in Italian). 58 (13): 229. PMID 5336711. /wiki/Minerva_Med.

  4. Marshall, James L. Marshall; Marshall, Virginia R. Marshall (2008). "Rediscovery of the elements: Klaproth" (PDF). The Hexagon: 20–24. Retrieved 8 December 2019. http://www.chem.unt.edu/~jimm/REDISCOVERY%207-09-2018/Hexagon%20Articles/klaproth.pdf

  5. Garrison, Ervan (2003). "Instrumental Analytical Techniques for Archaeological Geology". Techniques in Archaeological Geology. Natural Science in Archaeology. Springer. pp. 207–246. doi:10.1007/978-3-662-05163-4_7. ISBN 978-3-662-05163-4. 978-3-662-05163-4

  6. Marshall, James L. Marshall; Marshall, Virginia R. Marshall (2008). "Rediscovery of the elements: Klaproth" (PDF). The Hexagon: 20–24. Retrieved 8 December 2019. http://www.chem.unt.edu/~jimm/REDISCOVERY%207-09-2018/Hexagon%20Articles/klaproth.pdf

  7. Dahlkamp, Franz J. (1991). Uranium Ore Deposits. Springer Berlin Heidelberg. p. 5. ISBN 978-3-662-02892-6. Retrieved 8 December 2019. 978-3-662-02892-6

  8. "KLAPROTH, Martin Heinrich. (1743 - 1817)". The Mineralogical Record, Inc. Retrieved 8 December 2019. https://mineralogicalrecord.com/libdetail.asp?id=762

  9. Robison, Roger F. (2015). Mining and selling radium and uranium. Springer. pp. 59–60. ISBN 9783319118291. Retrieved 8 December 2019. 9783319118291

  10. 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. 978-9048175932

  11. Thomson, Thomas (1812). History of the Royal Society: From Its Institution to the End of the Eighteenth Century. London: R. Baldwin. p. lxiv, 485. https://books.google.com/books?id=nqjjR4Qt9IgC&pg=PR64

  12. "Martin Klaproth". Physics Today (12): 5879. 1 December 2017. Bibcode:2017PhT..2017l5879.. doi:10.1063/PT.6.6.20171201a. https://physicstoday.scitation.org/do/10.1063/pt.6.6.20171201a/full/

  13. Dann, Georg Edmund (1977). "Klaproth, Martin Heinrich". Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German). Vol. 11. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot. pp. 707–709. (full text online). https://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/0001/bsb00016328/images/index.html?seite=713

  14. 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. 978-9048175932

  15. 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. 978-9048175932

  16. 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. 978-9048175932

  17. Partington, J. R. (1962). History of Chemistry. Vol. 3. London: Macmillan. pp. 654–658. ISBN 9781349003099. Retrieved 8 December 2019. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) 9781349003099

  18. "KLAPROTH, Martin Heinrich. (1743 - 1817)". The Mineralogical Record, Inc. Retrieved 8 December 2019. https://mineralogicalrecord.com/libdetail.asp?id=762

  19. 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. 978-9048175932

  20. 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. 978-9048175932

  21. Partington, J. R. (1962). History of Chemistry. Vol. 3. London: Macmillan. pp. 654–658. ISBN 9781349003099. Retrieved 8 December 2019. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) 9781349003099

  22. Dann, Georg Edmund (1977). "Klaproth, Martin Heinrich". Neue Deutsche Biographie (in German). Vol. 11. Berlin: Duncker & Humblot. pp. 707–709. (full text online). https://daten.digitale-sammlungen.de/0001/bsb00016328/images/index.html?seite=713

  23. Partington, J. R. (1962). History of Chemistry. Vol. 3. London: Macmillan. pp. 654–658. ISBN 9781349003099. Retrieved 8 December 2019. {{cite book}}: ISBN / Date incompatibility (help) 9781349003099

  24. Marshall, James L. Marshall; Marshall, Virginia R. Marshall (2008). "Rediscovery of the elements: Klaproth" (PDF). The Hexagon: 20–24. Retrieved 8 December 2019. http://www.chem.unt.edu/~jimm/REDISCOVERY%207-09-2018/Hexagon%20Articles/klaproth.pdf

  25. Marshall, James L. Marshall; Marshall, Virginia R. Marshall (2008). "Rediscovery of the elements: Klaproth" (PDF). The Hexagon: 20–24. Retrieved 8 December 2019. http://www.chem.unt.edu/~jimm/REDISCOVERY%207-09-2018/Hexagon%20Articles/klaproth.pdf

  26. Robison, Roger F. (2015). Mining and selling radium and uranium. Springer. pp. 59–60. ISBN 9783319118291. Retrieved 8 December 2019. 9783319118291

  27. Schuettmann, W. (1989). "The discovery of uranium by Martin Heinrich Klaproth 200 years ago". Kernenergie. 32 (10): 416–420. https://inis.iaea.org/search/search.aspx?orig_q=RN:20077398

  28. Klaproth, M. H. (1789). "Chemische Untersuchung des Uranits, einer neuentdeckten metallische Substanz". Chem. Ann. Freunde Naturl. (2): 387–403. /w/index.php?title=Chem._Ann._Freunde_Naturl.&action=edit&redlink=1

  29. Watt, Susan (2008). The Elements: Zirconium. New York: Marshall Cavendish. pp. 8–9. ISBN 9780761426882. 9780761426882

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  32. Enghag, Per (27 July 2004). Encyclopedia of the elements : technical data, history, processing, applications. Wiley-VCH. p. 515. ISBN 9783527306664. 9783527306664

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  34. Ihde, Aaron J. (1970). The Development of Modern Chemistry (Dover reprint of the 1970 3rd printing by Harper and Row ed.). New York: Harper and Row/Dover. p. 375. ISBN 9780486642352. 9780486642352

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  37. 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. 978-9048175932

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