Daily Archives: October 13, 2014




Ascanio Sobrero
October 12 is Ascanio Sobrero’s birthday. Sobrero was the Italian chemist who discovered nitroglycerin. Sobrero was a student under Théophile-Jules Pelouze. Pelouze’s laboratory specialized in studying nitrocellulose and guncotton. Sobrero synthesized a compound he called pyroglycerin by adding nitric and sulfuric acid to glycerin. Pyroglycerin was an oily, heavy and […]

Today In Science History – October 12 – Ascanio Sobrero ...