Who Discovered It

Represented by the atomic number 10 and the symbol Ne in the periodic table, neon is another important chemical element with many practical applications. Under standard conditions, it is described as an inert and colorless noble gas. When used in neon lamps and discharge tubes, this element produces a unique reddish-orange color. Aside from these interesting details, it is also good to know something about its history particularly who discovered neon. The Discovery of Neon Who discovered neon? In 1898, English chemist Morris W. Travers and Scottish chemist William Ramsay discovered this all-important chemical element in the City of London in England. Aside from neon, they were also credited for discovering krypton and xenon. Ramsay chilled an atmosphere sample, which he then liquefied and warmed. As the liquid boiled off, he captured the gases and found three different elements, namely neon, xenon and krypton. Additional Facts and Other Interesting Information Years after the discovery...

Though today it is one of the most common metals in the world, there was a time when aluminum was actually one of the rarest and most precious. It took the scientists who discovered aluminum years of experimentation before they succeeded in refining this elusive element. Aluminum originates from the compound “alum,” given that name by French chemist and politician Louis-Bernard Guyton de Morveau in 1761. From as far back as 1787, scientists had hypothesized the existence of an unknown base metal in alum. While not quite the man who discovered aluminum, British chemist and inventor Sir Humphry Davy, can be credited for naming it (first as “alumium” before being given its current designation) in 1808. It was in 1825 when a Danish chemist and physicist named Hans Christian Oersted developed a way of extracting small amounts of aluminum from alum by having anhydrous aluminum chloride react with potassium amalgam to produce a chunk of metal with properties similar to those of tin. German...

Introduction A magnet is an object that produces a magnetic field. It attracts certain other objects to it, and repels other magnets Because magnets have been known to man for so long, it is inevitable that legends have formed regarding its discovery. The word “magnet” is from a Greek term meaning “Magnesian rock.” Legends of the Discovery of Magnets One story tells how a shepherd named Magnes discovered magnet about 2,000 BC. He was guiding his sheep along the pastures of Magnesia in northern Greece. Now Magnes was carrying a shepherd’s rod with a metal tip, and his shoes had nails in them. He stepped on a big black rock and next thing he knew, both his rod and shoes got stuck on the rock by their metallic parts. Perplexed, the shepherd got out of his shoes and dug up the ground. He found loadstones underneath. Loadstones are naturally magnetic due to a substanc3e known as FE304. The Greeks later renamed the stone magnesia after its founder or the area where it was discovered. Historical...

Mercury, be it the element or the planet, is quite elusive when it comes to its discoverer. But at least, as far as who discovered mercury the element is concerned, there’s a name worth mentioning. The First Unnamed Discoverers The Babylonians, among the first people groups of early civilization, is credited to be the first to put on record the use of the element mercury. This was some 3000 years ago when it was mixed freely with other products. It was then sometimes added in creams and ointments in dangerous proportions because it was not yet known then as a chemical element. At times poisoning was the result. The discovery of mercury as an element was in the 18th century. Incidentally, at about the same time, also 3000 years ago, the Sumerians discovered the planet Mercury. Like the Babylonians who discovered mercury and put in many records but not as an element, the Sumerians recorded the planet mercury quite a lot. It could be said that both element and planet had probably started...

Introduction Silver is a precious metal with many uses. It is used to in photography, dentistry, jewelry, utensils and tableware, currency, and optics. No one knows who discovered silver first. Like gold, it is one of the oldest elements known to mankind. History and Early Uses of Silver Humans have been mining silver for many thousands of years. Archeologists have found slag near the Aegean Sea dating back to 4000 BC. Silver is rarely found unmixed with other elements, so mining for it was difficult. The metal was often mixed with lead, which is poisonous. Many silver and lead miners died from lead poisoning in a few years’ time. Because of this, mining for these metals was forced labor, that is, slave labor. Silver has played an important role in shaping economies. In about 500 BC, the Athenian people discovered a silver mine in Laurion nearby. With this treasure they enriched their city and built a powerful navy. A rival city, Sparta, had its own silver mine. Carthage overran the area...