Jean Stas
Jean Stas | |
|---|---|
 Stas in an 1894 publication | |
| Born | 21 August 1813 |
| Died | 13 December 1891(aged 78) |
| Nationality | Belgian |
| Known for | Accurate determination ofatomic weights Co-discoverer of the atomic weight ofcarbon Forensic chemistry |
| Awards | Davy Medal(1885) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
| Signature | |
 | |
Jean Servais Stas(21 August 1813 – 13 December 1891) was aBelgiananalyticalchemistwho accurately measured theatomic weightofcarbon.
Life and work
[edit]Stas was born inLeuvenand trained initially as a physician. He later switched tochemistryand worked at theÉcole Polytechniquein Paris under the direction ofJean-Baptiste Dumas.Stas and Dumas established theatomic weightofcarbonby weighing a sample of the pure material, burning it in pureoxygen,and then weighing thecarbon dioxideproduced.
In 1840, Stas was appointed professor at theRoyal Military SchoolinBrussels.He acquired international fame by determining the atomic weights of theelementsmore accurately than had ever been done before, using anatomic massof 16 foroxygenas his standard. His results disproved the hypothesis of the English physicistWilliam Proutthat all atomic weights must be integer multiples of that ofhydrogen.These careful, accurate atomic weight measurements of Stas helped lay the foundation for theperiodic system of elementsofDmitri Mendeleevand others.[1]
Following the pioneering work ofLavoisierand his statement of theconservation of mass,the prolonged and exhaustive experiments of Stas supported the strict accuracy of this law inchemical reactions,[2]even though they were carried out with other intentions. His research[3][4]indicated that in certain reactions the loss or gain could not have been more than from 2 to 4 parts in 100,000.[5]The difference in the accuracy aimed at and attained by Lavoisier on the one hand, and byMorleyand Stas on the other, is enormous.[6]
In 1850, Stas gave the evidence that the Belgian CountHippolyte Visart de Bocarmékilled his brother-in-law by poisoning him withnicotine.[7]
Stas retired in 1869 because of problems with his voice caused by a throat ailment. He became commissioner of the mint, but resigned in 1872 because he disagreed with the government'smonetary policy.Jean Stas died inBrusselsand was buried atLeuven.
Honors and awards
[edit]- Foreign Member,Royal Society of London(1879)
- Davy Medal(1885)
- Streets named after him
On May 5, 1891 an event was held recognizing the 50th anniversary of Jean Servais Stas' membership in theRoyal Academy of Belgium.Various presenters spoke about his significant scientific contributions. He was presented with a medal in his honor sculpted by Belgian engraverAlphonse Michauxand with an album containing accolades authored by scientific societies from around the world.[8]
Selected writings
[edit]- Stas, Jean Servais (1894). L. W. Spring (ed.).Œuvres Complètes.Vol. 1. Brussels.
{{cite book}}:CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link) - Stas, Jean Servais (1894). J. B. Depaire (ed.).Œuvres Complètes.Vol. 2. Brussels: Bruxelles [etc.] C. Muquardt.
- Stas, Jean Servais (1894). L. W. Spring (ed.).Œuvres Complètes.Vol. 3. Brussels: Bruxelles [etc.] C. Muquardt.
- Stas, Jean Servais (1865).Nouvelles recherches sur les lois des proportions chimiques: sur les poids atomiques et leurs rapports mutuels.Brussels: Bruxelles. M. Hayez
See also
[edit]Further reading
[edit]- Morley, Edward W. (1892)."Jean Servais Stas".Journal of the American Chemical Society.14(7). American Chemical Society: 173–189.doi:10.1021/ja02123a012.S2CID4047133.
- Timmermans, Jean(1938). "Jean Servais Stas".Journal of Chemical Education.15(8): 353–357.Bibcode:1938JChEd..15..353T.doi:10.1021/ed015p353.- translated into English by Ralph Oesper
References
[edit]- ^Rawson, Don C. (1974). "The process of discovery: Mendeleev and the periodic law".Annals of Science.31(3): 181–204.doi:10.1080/00033797400200221.
- ^Matthew Moncrieff Pattison Muir,The Elements of Chemistry(1904)
- ^Nouv. Recherches sur los lois des proportions chimiques (1865) 152, 171, 189
- ^"Conservation of Mass in Chemical Changes"Journal - Chemical Society, London,Vol.64,Part 2 Chemical Society (Great Britain)
- ^William Edwards Henderson,A Course in General Chemistry(1921)
- ^Ida Freund,The study of Chemical Composition:an account of its method and historical development, with illustrative quotations(1904)
- ^Wennig, Robert (April 2009). "Back to the roots of modern analytical toxicology: Jean Servais Stas and the Bocarmé murder case".Drug Test Anal.1(4). England: 153–5.doi:10.1002/dta.32.PMID20355192.
- ^L'Academie Royale des Sciences, des Lettres et des Beaux-Arts de Belgique,Manifestation en L'Honneur de Jean-Servais Stas a L'Occasion du Cinquantieme Anniversaire de Sa Nomination Comme Membre Titulaire de la Classe des Sciences 1841 - 1891,Bruxelles, 1891.
