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1526
Phillippus Aureolus Theophrastus Bombastus Von Hohenheim AKA Paracelsus
Lived in Barb Switzerland and was a physician and surgeon who challenged the orthodoxy of that time. He was an alchemist who challenged greeks idea that the world was only fire, earth, water and air. He saw key ingredients to make metals and medicines such as salts to heal wounds and sulfur and mercury (known as quicksilver at the time). He discovered that mercury was a dense fluid, volatile, toxic and 14 times heavier than water. -
1526
Paracelsus enraged the establishment
Paracelsus burned their books as a dramatic gesture of medical authorities because he was not convincing them of his idea and 3 elements. He fled to Germany to continue practice of alchemy and medicine. He then paved the way for other alchemists who were only interested in making gold. -
Johann Becher
The mystery of fire was up in doubt when a German chemist proposed that the destruction of fire was caused by phlogiston and combustion theory. Phlogiston, a fire like existence, was said to be an odorless, colorless and weightless substance that caused things to burn and reduce them to their true form. This theory failed but let to an experiment which proved the discovery of oxygen. Not by Becher. -
The pursuit of gold
The first major breakthrough while discovering elements was because of gold. Gold was called the holy grail, as everyone who was somebody had it. It was believed it had medicinal, spiritual and magical properties. This gold phenomenom led one alchemist and first person to be credited with the discovery of a new element. -
Hennig Brand
He was a German alchemist who was convinced he could extract gold from the body. He experimented with urine in his stinky basement and distilled it down to a paste and heated it at an extreme temperature for days. Wisps of smoke revealed tiny fragments that combusted in the air. He did not discover gold in the body but he discovered, by accident, phosphorus. Phosphorus was then used in WW2 in thousands of bombs that destroyed Hamburg, the city where Brand discovered the element. -
Robert Boyle
He was a wealthy alchemist who witnessed and investigated phosphorus' properties. He created the ingredients for matches using phosphorus. He was not interested in getting rich (er) from this discovery, instead he was happy understanding the properties of the newly discovered element. He shared his methods and passed his tools to unlock mysteries of matter for future element hunters. -
Henry Cavendish
He was a very shy and rich chemist who made a vital contribution to the discovery of elements. He experimented with airs to find the first element that is a gas and also thought he discovered phlogiston. In reality discovered hydrogen. He actually was not credited while alive nor did he witness the full force of the element. He also discovered that water was not an element but a compound created by hydrogen and oxygen. -
Air elements
By the mid 1700's 3 known air elements were discovered. Common breathing air. Inflammable air known as hydrogen. And fixed air known as carbon dioxide. -
Joseph Priestley
He was an amateur chemist who experimented with airs; lived next to a brewery and was fascinated with the gas that produced fermentation to make beer. He called it brewery gas at first but then named it carbon dioxide. He invented the first fizzy drink with it. He was the first salaried chemist and contributed experiments with air. On August 1, 1774 he discovered oxygen through one of the most important experiments. In October 1774 he headed to Paris for an important dinner. -
Antoine Lavoisier
A french wealthy chemist determined to open mysteries of the natural world. He met Priestley in Paris and talked chemistry. Priestley shared his experiments with him. Lavoisier then continually worked on the "phlogiston" theory and knew it didn't exist and realized he discovered oxygen. They fought about who discovered it but Lavoisier discovered its significance not the actual element but had the money for the experiments that Priestley didn't. He revolutionized chemistry. -
Lavoisier's Death
During the French Revolution Priestley fled to America. While Lavoisier and 28 other tax collectors were found guilty of tax fraud and conspiracy. They were all executed on May8th, 1794. Lavoisier left a legacy as he is known as the Father of Chemistry identifying oxygen and hydrogen. His discoveries killed any vestiges of the greek concept of the 4 elements. Water was made of hydrogen and oxygen and Earth and air were made of a lot of different elements. -
Humphrey Davy
Was an English Cornish chemist. On October 6th, 1807 he was working with Potash trying to prove that electricity was a chemical reaction. He split apart the chemical in its fundamental ingredients and discovered potassium. Within time Davy added 6 new elements to Lavoisier's list and also confirmed that chlorine and iodine were elements. He died in 1829 at age 50. By this time 55 elements had been identified.