Joseph Priestley is a natural scientist, philosopher, chemist. Biography, discoveries

He was called the king of intuition. Joseph Priestley remained in history as the author of fundamental discoveries in the field of gas chemistry and in the theory of electricity. He was a Theosophist and a priest, who was called an "honest heretic."

Priestley is the greatest intellectual of the second half of the 18th century, who left a notable mark in philosophy and philology, and also he is the inventor of carbonated water and erasers for erasing pencil lines from paper.

early years

The eldest of six children of the conservative family of the cloth-sitter, Joseph Priestley was born in the spring of 1733 in the small village of Filshead near Leeds. The difficult circumstances of early childhood forced the parents to give Joseph to his aunt's family, who decided to prepare a nephew for the career of an Anglican priest. He was expected to receive strict education and a good theological and humanitarian education.

Early abilities and diligence enabled Priestley to successfully graduate from the Betlie Gymnasium, where the faculty of his name now exists, and the Theological Academy in Deventry. He attended a course in natural science and chemistry at the University of Warrington, prompting him to organize a home laboratory and begin independent scientific experiments.

The learned priest

In 1755, Joseph Priestley became assistant pastor, but was officially ordained in 1762. He was an unusual servant of the church. Well educated, he knew 9 living and dead languages, he wrote a book in 1761 "The Basics of English Grammar." This textbook was relevant for the next half century.

With a lively analytical mind, Joseph Priestley formed his religious beliefs by getting acquainted with the works of leading philosophers and theologians. As a result, he departed from those dogmas that were inspired to him in the family at birth. He went from Calvinism to Arianism, and then to an even more rationalistic trend - Unitarianism.

Despite the stammering that he had after his childhood illness, Priestley did a lot of preaching and teaching, Getting to Benjamin Franklin, an outstanding scientist of that time, activated the studies of Joseph Priestley with science.

Experiences in the field of electricity

The main science for Franklin was physics. Electricity aroused great interest and Priestley, and on the advice of one of the future founding fathers of the United States, in 1767 he published the work "History and the Current State of Electricity." Several fundamental discoveries were published in it, which brought the author well-deserved fame in the circles of English and European scholars.

The electrical conductivity of graphite, discovered by Priestley, subsequently acquired immense practical significance. Pure carbon has become a component of many electrical devices. Priestley described the experience of electrostatics, as a result of which he concluded that the magnitude of electrical influences and the Newtonian forces of universal gravitation are similar . The suggestion he made about the law of "inverse squares" was later reflected in the fundamental law of the theory of electricity - the law of Coulomb.

Carbon dioxide

Physics, electricity, conductivity, interaction of charges - not the only sphere of scientific interests Priestley. He found topics for research in the most unexpected places. The work that led to the discovery of carbon dioxide was started by him during the observation of brewing production.

In 1772 Priestley drew attention to the properties of gas, which was formed during fermentation of wort. It was carbon dioxide. Priestley developed a method of obtaining gas in the laboratory, discovered that it is heavier than air, makes combustion difficult and dissolves well in water, giving it an unusual, refreshing taste.

Photosynthesis

Continuing experiments with carbon dioxide, Priestley set the experience from which the history of the discovery of the fundamental phenomenon for the existence of life on the planet - photosynthesis began. By placing a green plant under the glass container, he lit a candle and filled the container with carbon dioxide. After a while he put living mice in there and tried to light a fire. Animals continued to live, and burning continued.

Priestley became the first person to observe photosynthesis. Explain the appearance under the closed capacity of gas, capable of supporting breathing and burning, could only be the ability of plants to absorb carbon dioxide and release another, life-giving substance. The results of the experiment became the basis for the birth in the future of global physical theories, including the law of conservation of energy. But the first conclusions of the scientist were in line with the science of that time.

Joseph Priestley explained photosynthesis from the point of view of phlogiston theory. Her author - Georg Ernst Stahl - assumed the presence in the combustible substances of a special substance - weightless fluids - phlogistons, and the combustion process consists in the decomposition of matter into its constituent components and the absorption of phlogistons by air. Priestley remained a supporter of this theory, even after he made his most important discovery - allocated oxygen.

The main discovery

Many of the experiences of Joseph Priestley led to results that were correctly explained by other scientists. He designed the device, where the resulting gases were separated from the air not by water, but by another, a denser liquid - mercury. As a result, he was able to isolate volatiles that had previously dissolved in water.

The first new gas received by Priestley was nitrous oxide. He discovered an unusual effect on people, which gave rise to an unusual name - an amusing gas. Subsequently, it began to be used as a surgical anesthesia.

In 1774, from a substance later identified as mercury oxide, the scientist managed to isolate the gas in which the candle began to burn surprisingly brightly. He called it dephlogistic air. Priestley maintained his conviction in this burning nature, even when Antoine Lavoisier proved that the discovery of Joseph Priestley is a substance possessing the most important properties for the whole process of life. The new gas was called oxygen.

Chemistry and Life

Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, oxygen - the study of these gases provided Priestley a place in the history of chemistry. The determination of the composition of gases involved in the process of photosynthesis is the scientist's contribution to biology. Experiments with electric charges, methods of decomposition of ammonia by means of electricity, work on optics earned the scientist authority from physicists.

The discovery made by Priestley on April 15, 1770, is of less fundamental importance. It has made life easier for many generations of school children and office workers. The history of the discovery began with the fact that Priestley discovered how a piece of rubber from India perfectly erases pencil lines from paper. So appeared rubber - what we call an eraser.

Philosophical and religious beliefs Priestley were independent, which earned him the reputation of a rebellious thinker. Priestley's book The History of Corruption of Christianity (1782) and his support for the revolutions in France and America provoked anger among the most ardent British conservatives.

When he celebrated in 1791 with like-minded people the anniversary of the capture of the Bastille, the crowd , inspired by preachers, destroyed the house and the Priestley laboratory in Birmingham. Three years later he was forced to emigrate to the United States, where in 1804 his days ended.

Great Amateur

The religious, social and political activities of Priestley are a huge contribution to the intellectual development of Europe, America and the world. A materialist and a staunch opponent of tyranny, he actively communicated with the most independent minds of that era.

This man was widely considered an amateur, he was called a scientist who did not receive a regular and full natural science education, Priestley was accused of not being able to fully understand the importance of his discoveries.

But in the centuries there was another Joseph Priestley. His biography is a bright page in world history. This is the life of an outstanding scholar, a convinced preacher of the most progressive ideas, an honorary member of all the leading scientific academies of Europe and the world - a scientist who has made a significant contribution to the development of the fundamental theories of natural science.