“the Father of Swedish Chemistry”

Jöns Jacob Berzelius

Born: August 20, 1779, Östergötland

Died: August 7, 1848, Stockholm, Sweden

Discovered: Silicon, Selenium

Berzelius is credited with identifying the chemical elements silicon, selenium, thorium, and cerium. Students working in Berzelius’s laboratory also discovered lithium and vanadium.

Berzelius is also credited with originating the chemical terms “catalysis,” “polymer,” “isomer,” and “allotrope,” although his original definitions differ dramatically from modern usage. As an example, he coined the term “polymer” in 1833 to describe organic compounds which shared identical empirical formulas but which differed in overall molecular weight, the larger of the compounds being described as “polymers” of the smallest. At this time the concept of chemical structure had not yet been developed so that he considered only the numbers of atoms of each element, and viewed for example glucose (C6H12O6) as a polymer of formaldehyde (CH2O) contrary to modern usage. Berzelius also developed electrochemical dualism.

Berzelius himself discovered and isolated several new elements, including cerium (1803) and thorium (1828). Berzelius’s interest inmineralogy also fostered his analysis and preparation of new compounds of these and other elements. He was a strict empiricist and insisted that any new theory be consistent with the sum of chemical knowledge. He developed classical analytical techniques, and investigated isomerism and catalysis, phenomena that owe their names to him. He became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1808 and served from 1818 as its principal functionary, the perpetual secretary. He is known in Sweden as “the Father of Swedish Chemistry”. Berzelius Day is celebrated on 20 August in honour of him.

Dealing with so many elements in so many compounds motivated his creation of a simple and logical system of symbols — H, O, C, Ca, Cl, and so forth — which is basically the same as the system we use today.