The life and times of Sir HUMPHREY DAVY

BORN Penzance, Cornwall 17 December 1775

DIED Geneva, Switzerland 29 May 1829

His discoveries , inventions included:

1798 Examined the effects of laughing gas on the body

1802 Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution, LONDON

Using Volta's pile Davy isolated

  • potassium on 9th October 1807
  • sodium on 15th October 1807

During 1808 he isolated

  • calcium,
  • strontium,
  • barium, and
  • magnesium

1810 Showed that chlorine gas was an element

1816 Invented the Miner's safety lamp

DAVY'S DISCOVERY OF POTASSIUM

On the 9th of October 1807 Davy wrote:

" By means of a stream of oxygen gas from a gasometer applied to the flame of a spirit burner I heated a platinum spoon containing potash. The alkali was kept at strong red heat for some minutes.

The spoon was connected to the positive side of the battery and a platinum wire connected to the negative side of the battery touched the molten potash.

An intense white light was produced at the negative wire with a column of flame being produced ."

After the success of the experiment it was reported that Davy jumped up and down in ecstatic delight.