From that position he explored such areas as oxides, nitrogen and ammonia, and in Davy published his findings in the book R esearches, Chemical and Philosophical. With that work came recognition in the field, and Davy became a professor of chemistry at the Royal Institution of Great Britain two years later. Davy's personal charisma and charm made his scientific presentations to the public at the Royal Institution of Great Britain extremely popular among elite Londoners of the day. In fact, his admirers would line up for blocks to witness Davy's chemistry lectures.
Davy next dived into electricity experiments, namely exploring the electricity-producing properties of electrolytic cells and the chemical implications of those cells' processes. That work led to further discoveries regarding sodium and potassium and the discovery of boron. Also along this trajectory, Davy parsed out why chlorine serves as a bleaching agent and did research for the Society for Preventing Accidents in Coal Mines, which led to the invention of a safe lamp for coal miners, dubbed the Davy lamp.
He was also knighted and made a baronet Partly paralyzed by a stroke, Davy died in Geneva, Switzerland, on May 29, We strive for accuracy and fairness. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! Subscribe to the Biography newsletter to receive stories about the people who shaped our world and the stories that shaped their lives.
Francis Galton was an English explorer and anthropologist best known for his research in eugenics and human intelligence. The gas often filled the mines, and could be sparked off by the candles they had in their helmets to light their work.
The resulting fires and explosions caused many deaths. Davy separated the flame from the gas, and his 'Davy' lamp later became widely used. The same year George Stephenson, the railway engineer, also invented a safety lamp. Davy was made a baronet in and from - was president of the Royal Society.
He died on 29 May in Switzerland. His assistant, Michael Faraday, went on to establish an even more prestigious reputation than Davy. Search term:. Read more. This page is best viewed in an up-to-date web browser with style sheets CSS enabled. His recommendation that nitrous oxide laughing gas be employed as an anesthetic in minor surgical operations was ignored, but inhaling the gas became the highlight of contemporary social gatherings.
In Davy was appointed—first as a lecturer, then as a professor of chemistry—to the Royal Institution in London, which he molded into a center for advanced research and for polished demonstration lectures delivered to audiences largely made up of fashionable gentlemen and ladies. Soon after the Italian physicist Alessandro Volta announced the electric pile—an early type of battery—in , Davy rushed into this new field and correctly realized that the production of electricity depended on a chemical reaction taking place.
Among his many accomplishments Davy discovered several new elements. In he electrolyzed slightly damp fused potash and then soda—substances that had previously resisted decomposition and hence were thought by some to be elements—and isolated potassium and sodium.
He went on to analyze the alkaline earths, isolating magnesium, calcium, strontium, and barium. It contained only hydrogen and one other element, chlorine. An engraving of Sir Humphry Davy, by G.
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