William Nicholson (chemist)
William Nicholson (* probably June 1, 1753 in London , † May 21, 1815 in Bloomsbury near London) was a British electro- chemist who was also a writer on natural-philosophical and chemical topics, as well as a translator, journalist, publisher, scientist and 1790 inventor of the hydrometer (sink balance) and 1800 discoverer of electrolysis.
Life
His exact date of birth is unknown, as in the 18th century it was customary to record only the year of birth, not the day and month. The date June 1, 1753 is given by the DGPT.
After school he took part in two voyages as a midshipman in the service of the British East India Company . He then began practicing as a lawyer, and when he was trained he went to Amsterdam with Josiah Wedgwood in 1775 , where he lived for several years as a pottery sales agent.
Upon his return to England, he was persuaded by Thomas Holcroft to apply his writing skills to light literature for magazines while helping Holcroft with his plays and novels. Meanwhile, he devoted himself to preparing his book An Introduction to Natural Philosophy , which was published in 1781 and was immediately successful. A translation of Voltaire's Elements of the Newtonian Philosophy soon followed, and he now devoted himself to very scientific questions and philosophical journalism. In 1784 he was appointed secretary of the "General Chamber of Manufacturers of Great Britain", and he was with the "Society for the Encouragement of Naval Architecture" (Society for the Promotion of shipbuilding connected), founded 1791st He paid a lot of attention to the construction of various machines, for example for comb-cutting, for file-making (file-making), for cylinder printing and others.
He also invented a hydrometer around 1790. Nicholson called the hydrometer he invented with weights " hydrometer ". The device is used to measure the density of liquids. It resembles a Fahrenheit device . Based on this source, the invention could also date from 1787 or before.
In 1797 he began publishing and contributing to the Journal of Natural Philosophy, Chemistry and the Arts , also commonly known as Nicholson's Journal - the first work of its kind in Great Britain; the series continued until 1814. In 1799 he founded a school in Soho Square , London , where he taught natural philosophy and chemistry.
In 1800, he discovered Anthony Carlisle the electrolysis , with which one water by galvanic current from a voltaic pile (battery, according to Alessandro Volta ) in hydrogen and oxygen could split. During the later years of his life he was mainly involved in water utility construction in Portsmouth , Gosport and Southwark .
In addition to considerable contributions to the Philosophical Transactions , Nicholson wrote translations of Fourcroys Chemistry (1787) and Chaptals Chemistry (1788), First Principles of Chemistry (1788) and a Chemistry Dictionary (1795); he also edited the British Encyclopaedia , or Dictionary of Arts and Sciences , 6 volumes, London 1809. He also wrote an autobiography that still existed at the end of the 19th century, but was probably lost afterwards.
In 1808 Nicholson became a corresponding member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences .
literature
- Mike Chrimes: Nicholson, William. In: Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers. Vol. 1: 1500-1830. 2002, ISBN 0-7277-2939-X .
- Nicholson, William . [writer] . In: Encyclopædia Britannica . 11th edition. tape 19 : Mun - Oddfellows . London 1911, p. 658 (English, full text [ Wikisource ]).
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ William Nicholson ( Memento December 13, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) on dgpt.org
- ↑ Manchester Memoirs , Vol. II. Warrington and London, 1787. 8maj.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Nicholson, William |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | British electrochemist, writer, translator, journalist, publisher, scientist, inventor of the hydrometer and discoverer of electrolysis |
| DATE OF BIRTH | June 1, 1753 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | London |
| DATE OF DEATH | May 21, 1815 |
| Place of death | Bloomsbury |