Daily Archives: December 11, 2017

Axel Fredrik Cronstedt (1722 - 1765). — December 23 is Axel Cronstedt’s birthday. Cronstedt was the Swedish chemist and mineralogist who first isolated the element nickel. Cronstedt isolated the metal from a sample of ore known as kupfernickel or “Devil’s copper”. Kupfernickel was an annoyance to copper miners because it is usually found near copper veins. The […]

Today in Science History – December 23 – Devil’s Copper

This entry was posted on December 11, 2017 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on January 21, 2023)

Wollaston William Hyde — December 22 marks the passing of William Hyde Wollaston. Wollaston was a British chemist who first isolated the element palladium. In the early 19th Century, platinum required a fiddly technique to extract the metal from its ore. It began by dissolving the ore in aqua regia, a mixture of hydrochloric […]

Today in Science History – December 22 – Wollaston and ...

This entry was posted on December 11, 2017 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on December 22, 2021)

Cat's Eye Nebula — December 21 is Ira Sprague Bowen’s birthday. Bowen was an American astrophysicist and spectroscopist who disproved the existence of the element ‘nebulium‘. In 1860, one of the new tools for scientists was absorption spectrum analysis. Look closely at the light after it passes through a heated gas with a diffraction […]

Today in Science History – December 21 – The Element ...

This entry was posted on December 11, 2017 by Todd Helmenstine (updated on February 21, 2023)