Lars Fredrik Nilson
Encyclopedia
Lars Fredrik Nilson was a Swedish
chemist
who discovered scandium
in 1879.
Nilson was born in Skönberga parish in Östergötland
, Sweden. His father, Nikolaus, was a farmer. The family moved to Gotland
when Lars Fredrik was young. After graduating from school, Lars Fredrik enrolled at Uppsala University
, and there he studied the natural sciences. His talent for chemistry drew attention from chemistry professor Lars Svanberg, who was a former student of Jöns Jakob Berzelius
.
In 1874 Nilson became associate professor of chemistry, and from then on he could devote more time to research. While working on rare earths
, in 1879 he discovered scandium. During this time he also studied the gas density of metals which made it possible to determine the valence
of various metals.
In 1882 he became director of the chemistry research department of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry
. His research partially took a new direction from then on. He conducted studies on cow milk and various fodder
plants.
Nilson was a member of several academies and got several awards, including the Order of the Polar Star
.
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Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
who discovered scandium
Scandium
Scandium is a chemical element with symbol Sc and atomic number 21. A silvery-white metallic transition metal, it has historically been sometimes classified as a rare earth element, together with yttrium and the lanthanoids...
in 1879.
Nilson was born in Skönberga parish in Östergötland
Östergötland
Östergötland, English exonym: East Gothland, is one of the traditional provinces of Sweden in the south of Sweden. It borders Småland, Västergötland, Närke, Södermanland, and the Baltic Sea. In older English literature, one might also encounter the Latinized version, Ostrogothia...
, Sweden. His father, Nikolaus, was a farmer. The family moved to Gotland
Gotland
Gotland is a county, province, municipality and diocese of Sweden; it is Sweden's largest island and the largest island in the Baltic Sea. At 3,140 square kilometers in area, the region makes up less than one percent of Sweden's total land area...
when Lars Fredrik was young. After graduating from school, Lars Fredrik enrolled at Uppsala University
Uppsala University
Uppsala University is a research university in Uppsala, Sweden, and is the oldest university in Scandinavia, founded in 1477. It consistently ranks among the best universities in Northern Europe in international rankings and is generally considered one of the most prestigious institutions of...
, and there he studied the natural sciences. His talent for chemistry drew attention from chemistry professor Lars Svanberg, who was a former student of Jöns Jakob Berzelius
Jöns Jakob Berzelius
Jöns Jacob Berzelius was a Swedish chemist. He worked out the modern technique of chemical formula notation, and is together with John Dalton, Antoine Lavoisier, and Robert Boyle considered a father of modern chemistry...
.
In 1874 Nilson became associate professor of chemistry, and from then on he could devote more time to research. While working on rare earths
Rare earth element
As defined by IUPAC, rare earth elements or rare earth metals are a set of seventeen chemical elements in the periodic table, specifically the fifteen lanthanides plus scandium and yttrium...
, in 1879 he discovered scandium. During this time he also studied the gas density of metals which made it possible to determine the valence
Valence (chemistry)
In chemistry, valence, also known as valency or valence number, is a measure of the number of bonds formed by an atom of a given element. "Valence" can be defined as the number of valence bonds...
of various metals.
In 1882 he became director of the chemistry research department of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry
Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry
The Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry , formerly the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture , founded in 1813 at the initiative of Crown Prince Charles, is one of the Royal Academies in Sweden...
. His research partially took a new direction from then on. He conducted studies on cow milk and various fodder
Fodder
Fodder or animal feed is any agricultural foodstuff used specifically to feed domesticated livestock such as cattle, goats, sheep, horses, chickens and pigs. Most animal feed is from plants but some is of animal origin...
plants.
Nilson was a member of several academies and got several awards, including the Order of the Polar Star
Order of the Polar Star
The Order of the Polar Star is a Swedish order of chivalry created by King Frederick I of Sweden on 23 February 1748, together with the Order of the Sword and the Order of the Seraphim....
.
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