Charles Hatchett
| Charles Hatchett | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born | 2 January 1765 |
| Died | 10 March 1847 (aged 82) Chelsea, London |
| Institutions | British Museum |
| Known for | Discovery of niobium |
Charles Hatchett FRS FRSE (2 January 1765 – 10 March 1847) was an English chemist who discovered the element niobium.
Hatchett was born in Long Acre, London the son of John Hatchett, a coach-builder.
In 1800 he founded a chemical works at Chiswick in London.
In 1801 while working for the British Museum in London, Hatchett analyzed a piece of columbite in the museum's collection. Columbite turned out to be a very complex mineral, and Hachett discovered that it contained a "new earth" which implied the existence of a new element. Hatchett called this new element columbium (Cb) in honour of Christopher Columbus, the discoverer of America. On 26 November of that year he announced his discovery before the Royal Society. The element was later rediscovered and renamed niobium (its current name).
Later in life, Hatchett quit his job as a chemist to work full-time in his family's coach fabrication business.
He lived at Mount Clare, Roehampton from 1807-19.
Hatchett died at Bellevue House in Chelsea, London, and is buried at St Laurence's Church, Upton, Slough, the same church where William Herschel is interred.
Since 1979, the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining ("IOM3") (London) has given the Charles Hatchett Award yearly to a noted metallurgist. The award is given to the "author of the best paper on the science and technology of niobium and its alloys."
On 24 March 1787, he married Elizabeth Collick at St Martin's-in-the-Fields. Their children included:
...
Wikipedia