Quick Facts
- NAME: Humphry Davy
- OCCUPATION: Inventor, Chemist
- BIRTH DATE: December 17, 1778
- DEATH DATE: May 29, 1829
- PLACE OF BIRTH: Penzance, Cornwall, England
- PLACE OF DEATH: Geneva, Switzerland
Best Known For
Humphry Davy was a British chemist and inventor best known for discovering alkali and his contributions to the discoveries of chlorine and iodine.
Sir Humphry Davy. (2012). Biography.com. Retrieved 12:51, Feb 09, 2012 from http://www.biography.com/people/humphry-davy-9268399
Sir Humphry Davy [Internet]. 2012. http://www.biography.com/people/humphry-davy-9268399, February 09
"Sir Humphry Davy." 2012. Biography.com 09 Feb 2012, 12:51 http://www.biography.com/people/humphry-davy-9268399
'Sir Humphry Davy', Biography.com,(2012) http://www.biography.com/people/humphry-davy-9268399 [accessed Feb 09, 2012]
"Sir Humphry Davy," Biography.com, http://www.biography.com/people/humphry-davy-9268399 (accessed Feb 09, 2012).
Sir Humphry Davy [Internet]. Biography.com; 2012 [cited 2012 Feb 09]. Available from: http://www.biography.com/people/humphry-davy-9268399.
Sir Humphry Davy, http://www.biography.com/people/humphry-davy-9268399 (last visited Feb 09, 2012).
Sir Humphry Davy, http://www.biography.com/people/humphry-davy-9268399 (last visited Feb 09, 2012).
Synopsis
Profile
(born Dec. 17, 1778, Penzance, Cornwall, Eng.—died May 29, 1829, Geneva, Switz.) English chemist. By his early 20s his work on gases had established his reputation. His discovery of the anesthetic effect of nitrous oxide in 1799 was a major contribution to surgery. He also did early research on voltaic cells and batteries, tanning, electrolysis, and mineral analysis. In Elements of Agricultural Chemistry (1813) he became the first to apply chemical principles systematically to farming. He was the first to isolate potassium, sodium, barium, strontium, magnesium, and calcium; he also discovered boron and studied chlorine and iodine extensively. He analyzed many pigments and proved that diamond is a form of carbon. He was one of the greatest exponents of the scientific method. His research on mine explosions and flame and his invention of the safety lamp brought him great prestige, and in 1820 he was made president of the Royal Society of London.Copyright © 1994-2011 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. For more information visit Britannica.com
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