Edward Turner (chemist) facts for kids
Edward Turner (born June 24, 1796 – died February 12, 1837) was an important British scientist. He was born in Jamaica and became a doctor and chemist. He is famous for his work on atomic weights and for helping people understand the atomic theory developed by John Dalton.
Turner also wrote a very popular chemistry textbook. This book was special because it was one of the first to use chemical symbols and formulas, and it also included information about organic chemistry.
Contents
A Life of Science
Edward Turner was born in a place called Teak Pen in Clarendon, Jamaica. He was the oldest of nine children. His parents also came from families who owned plantations in Jamaica.
When Edward was young, his family moved to Bath, England. This is where he went to school first.
Edward and his younger brother, William, both studied at the University of Edinburgh Medical School. They both became doctors, with Edward graduating in 1819.
While William went back to Jamaica to work as a doctor, Edward started his medical practice in Bath. However, after spending some time in Paris, he decided to change his career from medicine to experimental science. From 1821, he spent two years studying chemistry and minerals at Göttingen University in Germany.
Teaching Chemistry
In 1823, Turner returned to Edinburgh. He started teaching chemistry there, offering both lectures and hands-on lab sessions. His teaching was very popular.
Then, in 1827, a new university called University College, London opened. Edward Turner was chosen to be the new Professor of Chemistry. He also taught geology there. He held these important positions until he passed away.
Recognized for His Work
Edward Turner was recognized for his scientific contributions. He became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1825. In 1830, he was also elected a Fellow of the more famous Royal Society of London. In 1836, he became a member of the American Philosophical Society.
Edward Turner died on February 12, 1837, at his home in London. He was buried a few days later at Kensal Green Cemetery.
Artistic Recognition
After his death, Edward Turner's students honored him with a marble bust, which is a sculpture of his head and shoulders. This bust, made by Timothy Butler, is now located at University College London in the Turner Laboratory.
Important Scientific Works
Edward Turner wrote an important book called Introduction to the Study of the Laws of Chemical Combination and the Atomic Theory in 1825. This book later grew into his famous Elements of Chemistry in 1827. This textbook was so good that it was reprinted eight times!
Turner also published about forty scientific papers. These papers helped to explain new discoveries in chemistry.
Understanding Atomic Weights
One of Turner's most important contributions was his work on the atomic weights of different elements. At the time, a scientist named William Prout had a theory (called Prout's hypothesis) that all atomic weights were simple multiples of the weight of hydrogen. Another chemist, Thomas Thomson, tried to prove this theory.
Edward Turner decided to investigate this idea himself. He published two important papers in the Philosophical Transactions journal (in 1829 and 1833). In these papers, he showed some errors in Thomson's experiments. Turner's own results matched those of another famous chemist, Jöns Jacob Berzelius.
Turner's conclusion was that Prout's hypothesis, as Thomson presented it, was not correct. His careful work helped scientists understand atomic weights more accurately.
