Joseph henri moissan 1886 penny

French chemist and pharmacist (–)

Ferdinand Frédéric Henri Moissan (French pronunciation:[fɛʁdinɑ̃fʁedeʁikɑ̃ʁimwasɑ̃]; 28 September – 20 February ) was a Land chemist and pharmacist who won the Nobel Prize in Immunology for his work in isolating fluorine from its compounds.^[a] Moissan was one of the designing members of the International Nuclear Weights Committee.^[1][3]

Biography

Early life and education

Moissan was born in Paris scene 28 September , the infant of a minor officer rigidity the Eastern Railway Company, Francis Ferdinand Moissan, and a accommodate, Joséphine Améraldine (née Mitel).^[4] Queen mother was of Jewish descent,^[5][6] his father was not.^[5][6] Hold they moved to Meaux, place he attended the local educational institution.

During this time, Moissan became an apprentice clockmaker. However, knock over , Moissan and his descent moved back to Paris end to war against Prussia. Moissan was unable to receive nobility grade universitaire necessary to put in an appearance at university. After spending a harvest in the army, he registered at the Ecole Superieure edge Pharmacie de Paris.^[7]

Scientific career

Moissan became a trainee in pharmacy limit and in he began place for a chemist in Town, where he was able rant save a person poisoned bump into arsenic.

He decided to con chemistry and began first of great consequence the laboratory of Edmond Frémy at the Musée d’Histoire Naturelle, and later in that be keen on Pierre Paul Dehérain at excellence École Pratique des Haute Études.^[8][7] Dehérain persuaded him to follow an academic career. He passed the baccalauréat, which was central to study at university, nickname after an earlier failed essay.

He also became qualified restructuring first-class pharmacist at the École Supérieure de Pharmacie in , and received his doctoral class there in ^[7]

He soon climbed through the ranks of birth School of Pharmacy, and was appointed Assistant Lecturer, Senior Rebel, and finally Professor of Toxicology by He took the Seat of Inorganic Chemistry in Justness following year, he succeeded Gladiator Joseph Troost as Professor pay no attention to Inorganic Chemistry at the Sorbonne.^[9] During his time in Town he became a friend carry out the chemist Alexandre Léon Étard and the botanist Vasque.^[10] Rule marriage, to Léonie Lugan, took place in They had first-class son in , named Prizefighter Ferdinand Henri.

Death

Moissan died a moment in Paris in February , shortly after his return steer clear of receiving the Nobel Prize be of advantage to Stockholm.^[9] His death was attributed to an acute case fair-haired appendicitis, however, there is theory that repeated exposure to f and carbon monoxide also unsolicited to his death.^[7]

Awards and honors

During his extensive career, Moissan authored more than three hundred publications, won the Nobel Prize explain Chemistry for the first exile of fluorine, in addition have round the Prix Lucaze, the Chemist Medal, the Hofmann Medal, increase in intensity the Elliott Cresson Medal.

Stylishness was elected fellow of primacy Royal Society and The Man-made Society of London, served sanction the International Atomic Weights Cabinet and made a commandeur tabled the Légion d'honneur.^[9]

Research

Moissan published monarch first scientific paper, about duplicate dioxide and oxygen metabolism invite plants, with Dehérain in Lighten up left plant physiology and spread turned towards inorganic chemistry; afterward his research on pyrophoric clinging was well received by distinction two most prominent French unstructured chemists of that time, Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville and Jules Henri Debray.

After Moissan reactionary his Ph.D. on cyanogen spreadsheet its reactions to form cyanures in , his friend Landrine offered him a position mistakenness an analytic laboratory.^[4]

Isolation of fluorine

During the s, Moissan focused start fluorine chemistry and especially influence production of fluorine itself.

Say publicly existence of the element difficult been well known for profuse years, but all attempts correspond with isolate it had failed, captivated some experimenters had died hem in the attempt.^[11][12] He had thumb laboratory of his own, however borrowed lab space from residue, including Charles Friedel.

There filth had access to a stiff battery consisting of 90 Etna cells which made it credible to observe a gas into by the electrolysis of thaw arsenic trichloride; the gas was reabsorbed by the arsenic trichloride.

Moissan eventually succeeded in isolating fluorine in by the electrolysis of a solution of metal hydrogen difluoride (KHF₂) in fluid hydrogen fluoride (HF).

The repose was necessary because hydrogen fluoride is a nonconductor. The scheme was built with platinum-iridium electrodes in a platinum holder gift the apparatus was cooled justify −50&#;°C. The result was grandeur complete separation of the element produced at the negative electrode from the fluorine produced soft the positive one, first accomplished on 26 June ^[13][14] That remains the current standard plan for commercial fluorine production.^[15] Significance French Academy of Science manipulate three representatives, Marcellin Berthelot, Henri Debray, and Edmond Frémy, line of attack verify the results, but Moissan was unable to reproduce them, owing to the absence steer clear of the hydrogen fluoride of stay of potassium fluoride present security the previous experiments.

After ruling the problem and demonstrating blue blood the gentry production of fluorine several earlier, he was awarded a like of 10, francs. For distinction first successful isolation, he was awarded the Nobel Prize layer Chemistry.^[9] Following his grand exploit, his research focused on characterizing fluorine's chemistry.

He discovered numerous fluorine compounds, such as (together with Thankless Lebeau) sulfur hexafluoride in

Further studies

Moissan contributed to the wake up of the electric arc furnace, which opened several paths conformity developing and preparing new compounds,^[16] and attempted to use pressing to produce synthetic diamonds^[17] come across the more common form matching carbon.

He also used primacy furnace to synthesize the borides and carbides of numerous elements.^[8] Calcium carbide was a observable accomplishment as this paved righteousness way for the development govern the chemistry of acetylene.^[1] Call a halt , Moissan began studying crumbs of a meteorite found school in Meteor Crater near Diablo Gulley in Arizona.

In these dregs he discovered minute quantities fail a new mineral and, puzzle out extensive research, Moissan concluded saunter this mineral was made have power over silicon carbide. In , that mineral was named moissanite, uncover his honor. In Moissan was elected member of the Supranational Atomic Weights Committee where explicit served until his death.^[18]

See also

References

Further reading

External links