Daniel Rutherford
Encyclopedia
Daniel Rutherford was a Scottish physician, chemist and botanist who is most famous for the isolation of nitrogen
in 1772.
Rutherford was the uncle of the novelist Sir Walter Scott.
on 3 November 1749. He was educated at Mundell's School and Edinburgh University (MD 1772).
was studying the properties of carbon dioxide
, he found that a candle would not burn in it.
He turned this problem over to his student at the time, Daniel Rutherford. Rutherford kept a mouse in a space with a confined quality of air until it died. Then, he burned a candle in the remaining air until it went out. Afterwards, he burned phosphorus
in that, until it would not burn. Then the air was passed through a carbon dioxide absorbing solution
. The remaining air did not support combustion, and a mouse could not live in it.
Rutherford called the gas
(which we now know would have consisted primarily of nitrogen
) “noxious air” or “phlogisticated air”.
Rutherford reported the experiment in 1772. He and Black were convinced of the validity of the phlogiston theory
, so they explained their results in terms of it.
He was a professor of botany
at the University of Edinburgh
and keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
.
He left home at the age of 16 to go to college.
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
in 1772.
Rutherford was the uncle of the novelist Sir Walter Scott.
Early life
The son of Professor John Rutherford (1695–1779) and Anne Mackay, Daniel Rutherford was born in EdinburghEdinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
on 3 November 1749. He was educated at Mundell's School and Edinburgh University (MD 1772).
Rutherford's Isolation of Nitrogen
When Joseph BlackJoseph Black
Joseph Black FRSE FRCPE FPSG was a Scottish physician and chemist, known for his discoveries of latent heat, specific heat, and carbon dioxide. He was professor of Medicine at University of Glasgow . James Watt, who was appointed as philosophical instrument maker at the same university...
was studying the properties of carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide
Carbon dioxide is a naturally occurring chemical compound composed of two oxygen atoms covalently bonded to a single carbon atom...
, he found that a candle would not burn in it.
He turned this problem over to his student at the time, Daniel Rutherford. Rutherford kept a mouse in a space with a confined quality of air until it died. Then, he burned a candle in the remaining air until it went out. Afterwards, he burned phosphorus
Phosphorus
Phosphorus is the chemical element that has the symbol P and atomic number 15. A multivalent nonmetal of the nitrogen group, phosphorus as a mineral is almost always present in its maximally oxidized state, as inorganic phosphate rocks...
in that, until it would not burn. Then the air was passed through a carbon dioxide absorbing solution
Solution
In chemistry, a solution is a homogeneous mixture composed of only one phase. In such a mixture, a solute is dissolved in another substance, known as a solvent. The solvent does the dissolving.- Types of solutions :...
. The remaining air did not support combustion, and a mouse could not live in it.
Rutherford called the gas
Gas
Gas is one of the three classical states of matter . Near absolute zero, a substance exists as a solid. As heat is added to this substance it melts into a liquid at its melting point , boils into a gas at its boiling point, and if heated high enough would enter a plasma state in which the electrons...
(which we now know would have consisted primarily of nitrogen
Nitrogen
Nitrogen is a chemical element that has the symbol N, atomic number of 7 and atomic mass 14.00674 u. Elemental nitrogen is a colorless, odorless, tasteless, and mostly inert diatomic gas at standard conditions, constituting 78.08% by volume of Earth's atmosphere...
) “noxious air” or “phlogisticated air”.
Rutherford reported the experiment in 1772. He and Black were convinced of the validity of the phlogiston theory
Phlogiston theory
The phlogiston theory , first stated in 1667 by Johann Joachim Becher, is an obsolete scientific theory that postulated the existence of a fire-like element called "phlogiston", which was contained within combustible bodies and released during combustion...
, so they explained their results in terms of it.
He was a professor of botany
Botany
Botany, plant science, or plant biology is a branch of biology that involves the scientific study of plant life. Traditionally, botany also included the study of fungi, algae and viruses...
at the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
and keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh
The Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh is a scientific centre for the study of plants, their diversity and conservation, as well as a popular tourist attraction. Originally founded in 1670 as a physic garden to grow medicinal plants, today it occupies four sites across Scotland — Edinburgh,...
.
He left home at the age of 16 to go to college.