Stanislao Cannizzaro facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stanislao Cannizzaro
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| Born | 13 July 1826 Palermo, Italy
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| Died | 10 May 1910 (aged 83) |
| Known for | Cannizzaro reaction |
| Awards | Faraday Lectureship Prize (1872) Copley Medal (1891) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
Stanislao Cannizzaro was an important Italian chemist. He was born on July 13, 1826, and passed away on May 10, 1910.
He is famous for discovering the Cannizzaro reaction. He also played a big role in helping scientists agree on how to measure the weights of atoms in 1860. This helped chemistry become more organized.
His Life Story
Stanislao Cannizzaro was born in Palermo, Italy, in 1826. He first wanted to study medicine at the university. However, he soon found his true passion in chemistry.
From 1845 to 1846, he worked as an assistant to Raffaele Piria. Piria was a chemistry professor known for his work on salicin.
In 1848, there was a revolution in Sicily. Cannizzaro joined the fight as an artillery officer. He also became a representative for Francavilla in the Sicilian parliament.
After the revolution ended, Cannizzaro had to leave Italy. He went to Marseille, France, in 1849. Later, he moved to Paris.
In Paris, he worked in a laboratory with Michel Eugène Chevreul. In 1851, he made his first big discovery with F.S. Cloez. They created cyanamide using a special chemical process.
That same year, Cannizzaro became a professor in Alessandria, Piedmont. There, he discovered the Cannizzaro reaction. This reaction shows how certain chemicals can be broken down into an acid and an alcohol. For example, benzaldehyde can turn into benzoic acid and benzyl alcohol.
In 1855, Cannizzaro became a chemistry professor at the University of Genoa. He later taught at Pisa and Naples. He then returned to Palermo to teach.
In Palermo, he spent ten years studying aromatic compounds and amines. In 1871, he became a chemistry professor at the University of Rome.
His Important Ideas
Besides his work on organic chemistry, Cannizzaro made a huge contribution in 1858. He wrote a paper called Sunto di un corso di Filosofia chimica. In this paper, he explained the difference between atomic weights and molecular weights. This idea was first suggested by Amedeo Avogadro.
Cannizzaro showed how to figure out the atomic weights of elements. He used the molecular weights of compounds that could turn into gas. He also showed how to find atomic weights for elements whose gas densities were unknown. He did this by looking at their specific heats.
These discoveries were very important for understanding atomic theory. Because of his work, he received the Copley Medal from the Royal Society in 1891.
In 1871, Cannizzaro's scientific achievements led him to become a member of the Italian senate. He also helped improve science education in Italy.
He is best known for helping solve a big debate among scientists. This debate was about atoms, molecules, and how to measure their weights. He strongly supported Amedeo Avogadro's idea. Avogadro believed that equal amounts of gas, at the same temperature and pressure, have the same number of molecules or atoms.
Cannizzaro showed that this idea could be used to calculate atomic weights. This new way of thinking helped chemists understand their field much better.
What He Wrote
- Sunto di un corso di filosofia chimica, Genova, 1858
- Scritti intorno alla teoria molecolare ed atomica ed alla notazione chimica, "Lo Statuto" (Palermo), 1896
- Scritti vari e lettere inedite nel centenario della nascita, Roma, 1926
See also
In Spanish: Stanislao Cannizzaro para niños
- Cannizzaro reaction
