LECOQ de BOISBAUDRAN, PAUL ÈMILE. - ANNOUNCING THE DISCOVERY OF THE ELEMENT GALLIUM.

Caractéres chimique et spectroscopiques d'un nouveau métal, le Gallium, découvert dans une blende de la mine de Pierrefitte, vallée d'Argelès (Pyrénées). (Séance du Lundi 20 Septembre 1875). (+) Sur quelques propriétés dy gallium. (Séance du Lundi 6 decembre 1875)

(Paris, Gauthier-Villars), 1875. 4to. No wrappers. In: "Comptes Rendus Hebdomadaires des Séances de L'Academie des Sciences", Tome 81, No 12 and No 23. Pp. (485-) 508 a. (1065-) 1148. (2 entire issues offered). Boisbaudran's papers: pp. 493-495 a. pp. 1100-1105.

First printing of the paper in which Boisbaudran announced his discovery of Gallium, together with the first printing of the paper in which he, by a series of experiments proved that Gallium, the metal that he had discovered amd named in honour of France, is a true element. A larger paper on the discovery was published in 1877 in "Annales de Chimie et Physique". In 1879 Bausbaudran was awarded the Davy Medal for his discovery of Gallium.

"In 1875 Boisbaudran spectroscopically discovered a new element, gallium, which he found in zinc blende from a mine in Hautes-Pyrénées. Continuing his work in Wurtz’s laboratory in Paris, he was a able to obtain the free metal by electrolysis of a solution of the hydroxide in potassium hydroxide. Gallium, Boisbaudran realized, was the "eka-aluminum" predicted by Mendeleev, and was the first of Mendeleev’s predicted elements to be isolated. Boisbaudran’s finding thus provided valuable evidence for the validity of Mendeleev’s periodic classification of the elements."(DSB).

"Lecoq de Boisbaudran announced his discovery (by spectroscopic analysis) of the new element gallium. Mendeleev had first predicted its existence and had named it eka-aluminium. The discovery was made in the author's private laboratory, in a specimen of zinc blende from the Pierrefitte mine in the Angelès Valley in the Hautes Pyrénées. He describes how on the evening of 27 August 1875 he detected the existence of this new element, which he named "gallium" in honor of France (Gallia)... A month later he "performed in Wurtz's laboratory in Paris....a series of experiments to prove that gallium...is a true element"(Weeks). he discusses how he eventually isloated small amounts of pure metallic gallium and determined its physical and chemical properties. The paper (the paper offered) first describes gallium compounds (e.g., ammonium gallium alum,, chloride, oxide, and sulphate)."(Roy G. Neville II, p. 29).

Order-nr.: 47271