William Nicol
Encyclopedia
William Nicol FRSE was a Scottish geologist and physicist who invented the Nicol prism
, the first device for obtaining plane-polarized light, in 1828.
(East Lothian
) in 1770 and his baptism is recorded in the parish register; many sources give an incorrect date of birth. For example, the Royal Society of Edinburgh
gives a date of birth of 1768, and his gravestone gave a date of birth of 1766.
, an itinerent lecturer in Natural Philosophy
whose blindness necessitated assistance for his chemistry and optics demonstrations. Nicol, having himself become a popular lecturer on that subject at the University of Edinburgh
, settled in Edinburgh
to live a very retired life. He conducted extensive studies of fluid inclusions
in crystals and the microscopic structure of fossil
wood. He did not publish any of his research findings until 1826.
Nicol made his prism by bisecting a parallelepiped
of Iceland spar
(a naturally occurring, transparent crystalline form of calcium carbonate
) along its shortest diagonal, then cementing the two halves together with Canada balsam
. Light entering the prism is refracted
into two rays, one of which emerges as plane-polarized light. Nicol prisms greatly facilitated the study of refraction and polarization, and were later used to investigate molecular structures and optical activity of organic
compounds.
In 1815, Nicol developed a method of preparing extremely thin section
s of crystals and rock
s for microscopical
study. His technique (which involved cementing the specimen to a glass slide and then carefully grinding until it was extremely thin) made it possible to view mineral samples by transmitted rather than reflected light and therefore enabled the minerals' internal structures to be seen.
He died at Edinburgh on the September 2, 1851, and was buried in Warriston Cemetery
. His burial site is now marked by a plaque on the north wall.
Dorsum Nicol
on the Moon
is named after him.
Nicol prism
A Nicol prism is a type of polarizer, an optical device used to produce a polarized beam of light from an unpolarized beam. See polarized light. It was the first type of polarizing prism to be invented, in 1828 by William Nicol of Edinburgh...
, the first device for obtaining plane-polarized light, in 1828.
Early life
He was born in HumbieHumbie
Humbie is a hamlet and rural parish in East Lothian, Scotland. It lies in the south-west of the county, approximately 10 miles south-west of Haddington and 15 miles south-east of Edinburgh. Humbie as we know it today was formed as the result of the union between Keith Marischal and Keith Hundeby in...
(East Lothian
East Lothian
East Lothian is one of the 32 council areas of Scotland, and a lieutenancy Area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Scottish Borders and Midlothian. Its administrative centre is Haddington, although its largest town is Musselburgh....
) in 1770 and his baptism is recorded in the parish register; many sources give an incorrect date of birth. For example, the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity, operating on a wholly independent and non-party-political basis and providing public benefit throughout Scotland...
gives a date of birth of 1768, and his gravestone gave a date of birth of 1766.
Lecturer
He started out as aide to his uncle, Henry MoyesHenry Moyes
Henry Moyes was a lecturer on natural philosophy. As an itinerant public speaker he helped raise 18th century popular interest in the new field of chemistry. He mixed with the greatest engineers and scientists of the day and attended the Lunar Society...
, an itinerent lecturer in Natural Philosophy
Natural philosophy
Natural philosophy or the philosophy of nature , is a term applied to the study of nature and the physical universe that was dominant before the development of modern science...
whose blindness necessitated assistance for his chemistry and optics demonstrations. Nicol, having himself become a popular lecturer on that subject 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...
, settled in Edinburgh
Edinburgh
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...
to live a very retired life. He conducted extensive studies of fluid inclusions
Fluid inclusions
thumb|250px|Trapped in a time capsule the same size as the diameter of a human hair, the ore-forming liquid in this inclusion was so hot and contained so much dissolved solids that when it cooled, crystals of halite, sylvite, gypsum, and hematite formed. As the samples cooled, the fluid shrank more...
in crystals and the microscopic structure of fossil
Fossil
Fossils are the preserved remains or traces of animals , plants, and other organisms from the remote past...
wood. He did not publish any of his research findings until 1826.
Nicol made his prism by bisecting a parallelepiped
Parallelepiped
In geometry, a parallelepiped is a three-dimensional figure formed by six parallelograms. By analogy, it relates to a parallelogram just as a cube relates to a square. In Euclidean geometry, its definition encompasses all four concepts...
of Iceland spar
Iceland spar
Iceland spar, formerly known as Iceland crystal, is a transparent variety of calcite, or crystallized calcium carbonate, originally brought from Iceland, and used in demonstrating the polarization of light . It occurs in large readily cleavable crystals, easily divisible into rhombs, and is...
(a naturally occurring, transparent crystalline form of calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate
Calcium carbonate is a chemical compound with the formula CaCO3. It is a common substance found in rocks in all parts of the world, and is the main component of shells of marine organisms, snails, coal balls, pearls, and eggshells. Calcium carbonate is the active ingredient in agricultural lime,...
) along its shortest diagonal, then cementing the two halves together with Canada balsam
Canada balsam
Canada balsam, also called Canada turpentine or balsam of fir, is a turpentine which is made from the resin of the balsam fir tree of boreal North America...
. Light entering the prism is refracted
Refraction
Refraction is the change in direction of a wave due to a change in its speed. It is essentially a surface phenomenon . The phenomenon is mainly in governance to the law of conservation of energy. The proper explanation would be that due to change of medium, the phase velocity of the wave is changed...
into two rays, one of which emerges as plane-polarized light. Nicol prisms greatly facilitated the study of refraction and polarization, and were later used to investigate molecular structures and optical activity of organic
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
compounds.
In 1815, Nicol developed a method of preparing extremely thin section
Thin section
In optical mineralogy and petrography, a thin section is a laboratory preparation of a rock, mineral, soil, pottery, bones, or even metal sample for use with a polarizing petrographic microscope, electron microscope and electron microprobe. A thin sliver of rock is cut from the sample with a...
s of crystals and rock
Rock (geology)
In geology, rock or stone is a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals and/or mineraloids.The Earth's outer solid layer, the lithosphere, is made of rock. In general rocks are of three types, namely, igneous, sedimentary, and metamorphic...
s for microscopical
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
study. His technique (which involved cementing the specimen to a glass slide and then carefully grinding until it was extremely thin) made it possible to view mineral samples by transmitted rather than reflected light and therefore enabled the minerals' internal structures to be seen.
He died at Edinburgh on the September 2, 1851, and was buried in Warriston Cemetery
Warriston Cemetery
Warriston Cemetery lies in Warriston, one of the northern suburbs of Edinburgh, Scotland. It was built by the then newly formed Edinburgh Cemetery Company, and occupies around of land on a slightly sloping site...
. His burial site is now marked by a plaque on the north wall.
Dorsum Nicol
Dorsum Nicol
Dorsum Nicol is a wrinkle ridge on the Moon at in Mare Serenitatis near the border of Mare Tranquilitatis. It is 50 km long and was named after William Nicol in 1976....
on the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
is named after him.