Henry Cavendish
| Henry Cavendish | |
|---|---|
Henry Cavendish
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| Born |
10 October 1731 Nice, Kingdom of Sardinia |
| Died | 24 February 1810 (aged 78) London, England |
| Nationality | British |
| Fields | Chemistry, physics |
| Institutions | Royal Institution |
| Alma mater | Peterhouse, Cambridge |
| Known for | Discovery of hydrogen Measuring the Earth's density (Cavendish experiment) |
Henry Cavendish FRS (/ˈkævəndɪʃ/; 10 October 1731 – 24 February 1810) was a British natural philosopher, scientist, and an important experimental and theoretical chemist and physicist. Cavendish is noted for his discovery of hydrogen or what he called "inflammable air". He described the density of inflammable air, which formed water on combustion, in a 1766 paper "On Factitious Airs". Antoine Lavoisier later reproduced Cavendish's experiment and gave the element its name.
A notoriously shy man (it has been postulated that he was on the autism spectrum), Cavendish was nonetheless distinguished for great accuracy and precision in his researches into the composition of atmospheric air, the properties of different gases, the synthesis of water, the law governing electrical attraction and repulsion, a mechanical theory of heat, and calculations of the density (and hence the mass) of the Earth. His experiment to measure the density of the Earth has come to be known as the Cavendish experiment.
Henry Cavendish was born on 10 October 1731 in Nice, where his family was living at the time. His mother was Lady Anne Grey, fourth daughter of Henry Grey, 1st Duke of Kent, and his father was Lord Charles Cavendish, third son of William Cavendish, 2nd Duke of Devonshire. The family traces its lineage across eight centuries to Norman times and was closely connected to many aristocratic families of Great Britain. His mother died in 1733, three months after the birth of her second son, Frederick, and shortly before Henry’s second birthday, leaving Lord Charles Cavendish to bring up his two sons.
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