James Freeman Dana
Encyclopedia
James Freeman Dana was a United States
chemist.
in 1813, and from the medical school
in 1817. He studied with Dr. John Gorham, and developed such ability that in 1815 he was selected by the authorities of Harvard to procure for the chemical laboratory a new outfit of apparatus. For this purpose, he visited London
, where for six months he worked in the laboratory of Friedrich Christian Accum.
On his return to the United States he settled in Cambridge
, where he practised medicine and was appointed assistant to the chair in chemistry. In 1817 he was invited to lecture on chemistry at Dartmouth
, and in 1820 became the first professor of chemistry and mineralogy there. He was chosen professor of chemistry in the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1825, and continued as such until his death.
and to the Annals of the New York Lyceum of Natural History. His larger works are, with his brother, Samuel Luther Dana
, Outlines of Mineralogy and Geology of Boston and its Vicinity (Boston, 1818), and Epitome of Chemical Philosophy (Concord, New Hampshire, 1825).
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chemist.
Biography
He graduated from HarvardHarvard College
Harvard College, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, is one of two schools within Harvard University granting undergraduate degrees...
in 1813, and from the medical school
Harvard Medical School
Harvard Medical School is the graduate medical school of Harvard University. It is located in the Longwood Medical Area of the Mission Hill neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts....
in 1817. He studied with Dr. John Gorham, and developed such ability that in 1815 he was selected by the authorities of Harvard to procure for the chemical laboratory a new outfit of apparatus. For this purpose, he visited London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, where for six months he worked in the laboratory of Friedrich Christian Accum.
On his return to the United States he settled in Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, where he practised medicine and was appointed assistant to the chair in chemistry. In 1817 he was invited to lecture on chemistry at Dartmouth
Dartmouth College
Dartmouth College is a private, Ivy League university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. The institution comprises a liberal arts college, Dartmouth Medical School, Thayer School of Engineering, and the Tuck School of Business, as well as 19 graduate programs in the arts and sciences...
, and in 1820 became the first professor of chemistry and mineralogy there. He was chosen professor of chemistry in the New York College of Physicians and Surgeons in 1825, and continued as such until his death.
Works
While a student in Cambridge, he received the Boylston Prize for a dissertation on the “Tests for Arsenic,” and again in 1817 received the same prize for an essay on the “Composition of Oxymuriatic Acid.” He contributed numerous scientific memoirs to Silliman's American Journal of ScienceAmerican Journal of Science
The American Journal of Science is the United States of America's longest-running scientific journal, having been published continuously since its conception in 1818 by Professor Benjamin Silliman, who edited and financed it himself...
and to the Annals of the New York Lyceum of Natural History. His larger works are, with his brother, Samuel Luther Dana
Samuel Luther Dana
Samuel Luther Dana was a United States chemist.-Biography:...
, Outlines of Mineralogy and Geology of Boston and its Vicinity (Boston, 1818), and Epitome of Chemical Philosophy (Concord, New Hampshire, 1825).