VAUQUELIN, (NICOLAS) - THE DISCOVERY OF BERYLLIUM.

De l'Aigue marine, ou Béril; et découverte d'une terre nouvelle dans cette pierre. Lue à l'Institut, le 26 Pluviose, an 6. (+) Notice sur la terre du Béril, pour servir de suite au premier mémoire sur le méme objet. (+) Analyse De l'Émeraude du Pérou. (3 Papers).

Paris, Fuchs et Guillaume, An VIe. (1798). Contemp. hcalf. Spine gilt. Very slightly rubbed. Small stamps on verso of titlepage. In: "Annales de Chimie, ou Recueil de Mémoires concernant la Chemie" Tome 26. - 340 pp. a. 1 engraved plate.(the entire volume offered). Vauquelin's papers: pp. 155-169, pp. 170-177 a. pp. 259-265. Some brownspots to the first and last leaves, otherwise fine and clean.

First printing of the papers in which Vauquelin describes and announces his discovery of Beryllium.

"The discovery of beryllium resulted from the Abbé Haüy's observation of the close similarity and probable identity of beryl and the emerald. At his suggestion Vauquelin made some very careful chemical analyses of these two minerals, and found in 1798 that they are indeed identical, and that they contain a new earth, which he named glucina, but which is now known as beryllia. The metal was isolated thirty years later by Wöhler and Bussy independently.....At the suggestion of the editors of the "Annales de Chemie....", he called the new earth 'glucina', meaning sweet." (Weeks in "Discovery of the Elements", p. 153-54). - Parkinson "Breakthrough" 1798 C.

The volume contains other importent papers in the history of chemistry, Hassenfratz "De l'Areométrie" + "Suite..." 2 Paprs., Berthollet, Chaptal, Guyton, Fourcroy, Priestly (first app. in French) etc.

Order-nr.: 43088