| Carl Wilhelm Scheele |
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.]] Carl Wilhelm Scheele( December 9 , 1742 - May 21 , 1786 ) a Swedish Chemist , born in Stralsund , Pomerania , Germany (back then a Swedish province), was the discoverer of many chemical substances, most notably discovering Oxygen before Joseph Priestley . Scheele worked as a Pharmacist in Stockholm , from 1770 to 1775 in Uppsala , and later in Köping . His studies led him to the discovery of Oxygen and Nitrogen in 1772 - 1773 , which he published in his only book, ''Chemische Abhandlung von der Luft und dem Feuer'' (''Chemical Treatise on Air and Fire'') in 1777 , losing some fame to Joseph Priestley , who independently discovered oxygen in 1774 . In his book, he also distinguished Heat Transfer by Thermal Radiation from that by Convection or Conduction . Scheele also discovered other chemical elements such as Barium (1774), Chlorine (1774), Manganese (1774), Molybdenum ( 1778 ), and Tungsten ( 1781 ), as well as several chemical compounds, including Citric Acid , Glycerol , Hydrogen Cyanide (also known, in aqueous solution, as prussic acid), Hydrogen Fluoride , and Hydrogen Sulfide . In addition, he discovered a process similar to Pasteurization . Like many other chemists of his time, Scheele often worked under difficult and even dangerous conditions. Also, he had a habit of tasting chemicals that he found. It appears that this was the cause of his premature death; his death symptoms resemble Mercury Poisoning . See also Bibliography |