Davy sir humphry biography
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Biography of Humphry Davy, Prominent English Chemist
Sir Humphry Davy (December 17, 1778–May 29, 1829) was a British chemist and inventor who was best known for his contributions to the discoveries of chlorine, iodine, and many other chemical substances. He also invented the Davy lamp, a lighting device that greatly improved safety for coal miners, and the carbon arc, an early version of the electric light.
Fast Facts: Sir Humphry Davy
- Known For: Scientific discoveries and inventions
- Born: December 17, 1778 in Penzance, Cornwall, England
- Parents: Robert Davy, Grace Millet Davy
- Died: May 29, 1829 in Geneva, Switzerland
- Published Works: Researches, Chemical and Philosophical, Elements of Chemical Philosophy
- Awards and Honors: Knight and baronet
- Spouse: Jane Apreece
- Notable Quote: "Nothing is so dangerous to the progress of the human mind than to assume that our views of science are ultimate, that there are no mysteries in nature, that our triumphs
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Humphry Davy
(1778-1829)
Synopsis
Sir Humphry Davy was a kornisk chemist best known for his contributions to the discoveries of chlorine and iodine. In 1798, he was appointed chemical föreståndare of the Pneumatic Institution to study the therapeutic uses of various gases, after which he made several reports on the effects of inhaling nitrous oxide (laughing gas). On a related front, in 1815, he invented the Davy lamp, which allowed miners to work safely in close contact with flammable gases. Davy was also a charismatic speaker, and his scientific presentations at the Royal Institution of Great Britain were extremely popular among Londoners of the day.
Early Life
Englishman Humphry Davy was born on månad 17, 1778, in Penzance, Cornwall, to middle-class parents. He was well educated, but he was also naturally smart eller klok and curious, and those traits often manifested in the fiction and poetry he wrote at an early age. Davy was also deeply interested in nature, and he wa
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Sir Humphry Davy (1778–1829)
Biography
Ri positions
Director of the Laboratory 1801–1825
Professor of Chemistry 1802–1812
Honorary Professor 1813–1823
Born in Penzance, Sir Humphry Davy attended Truro Grammar School before returning to Penzance as an apothecary's apprentice. In 1798 he moved to Bristol to work at Thomas Beddoes's Pneumatic Institution where he discovered the physiological effects of nitrous oxide (laughing) gas. In Bristol he met and became friends with Robert Southey and Samuel Taylor Coleridge at whose instigation he edited the 2nd edition of William Wordsworth's Lyrical Ballads.
In 1802 he became professor of chemistry at the Ri. He went on to establish the Ri's reputation for excellent lectures, and also for scientific research. He used the new electric battery to isolate sodium and potassium and formulated a coherent theory of electro-chemical action while he was at the Ri. He left in 1812 following marriage to Jane Apreece, a wealthy heir