Juan Jose D' Elhuyar, Discoverer of Tungsten
Moseley at Oxford
Joseph A. Schnfle New Mexico Highlands University Las Vegas, 87701 Juan Jose D'Elhuyar, the discoverer of tungsten, was born in 1754 in Loerono. in the Basaue reeion of Snain. He and his younger brother Fausto s k d i e i chemistry in Paris. and. in the vears 1778-82. in various other E u r o ~ e an cekters'of learnfng under the sponsorship of the ~ a s q u e Society of Friends of the Land of Vergara, Spain. During this period Juan Jose took a trip to visit the laboratory of the great Swedish chemist Torhern Bergman in Upsala. There he took a concentrated course of lectures in higher chemistry from Bergman in which he learned about "tungstic a c i d (1, 2). On returning to Spain, the younger hrother Fausto ohtained a position with the Royal Seminary of Vergara as professor of metallurgy. Juan Jose, being temporarily unemployed, used his brother's laboratory to cany on the investigations he had begun in Bergman's laboratory on the isolation of a new metal from tungstic acid. In the summer of 1783, Juan Jose succeeded in isolating a few spheres of tungsten metal. His discovery was published jointly with Fausto 131. In a biography of Juan Jose 141, Bernardo Caycedo says
John T. Hogg Westminster College, Oxford University Oxford, U.K. Henry Gwynn Jeffreys Moseley was horn at Weymounth in 1887 and came to Trinity College, Oxford in 1906. He graduated M.A. in Natural Science in 1910 and was exceedingly disappointed a t only gaining second class honors. However, Rutherford welcomed him to Manchester to work under him in the Physics department (1). When Moseley returned to Oxford in 1913, he had already completed the work for his famous first paper on the X-ray spectra of the elements 12). This paper dealt with the lighter elements and in particular with the transition elements. He had a very clear program in mind, i.e., to extend the method to cover the heavier elements beyond silver. We can conjecture that Moseley was anxious to get full credit for all this and felt that so long as he stayed at Manchester he was in danger of being overshadowed not only by Rutherford hut also by other members of the team which at that time included Geiger, Bohr, Marsden and others, The ostensible reason he gave for the return was to he near his mother to whom he was greatly devoted. We know, for instance, that he used to spend the long vacations with her a t their country cottage in the New Forest
Juan Jose was the true discoverer of the metal tungsten, even though Fausto assisted him in his investigations. But the "Memoire," in which an account of the discovery was given, was puhlished jointly by both, and after Juan Jose had come to America, leaving Spain forever. So the hrother [Fausto] received the honors from scientific centers which were anxious to reward someone far the great discovery.. . Historians, both professional and amateur, have confused the deeds of the brothers into an almost inextricable mixture. As smn as the two names were confused the dates on some documents were misread, works of one [brother] attrihuted to the other, their papers exchanged, and the kinship which bound them was misunderstood."
13).
Fausto outlived his hrother hy nearly 40 years. In this period, Fausto carved out a career which was more fruitful through longevity if nothing else. Without desiring it Fausto absorbed the deeds of his brother, Juan Jose, who was completely forgotten in the New World.
When Mosely came hack to Oxford he had no University appointment, but having ample private means he was given some bench 'space in the Clarendon Laboratory. This laboratory was already fifty years old and was not even wired to mains electricity. In order to excite the target materials of the heavier elements very high voltages were necessary, and these were not available. Besides, his spectrometer tube was broken in transit, and the technicians a t Clarendon were not accustomed to work at his incredible speed. His chief obstacle was the designing of a tube capable of dealing with the softer X-rays. As these had very little penetrating power i t was necessary to work in a vacuum and in the dark 14). It hardly seems credible to us now, but because of the low state of science in Oxford at that
Literature Cited 11) Fredca. Arne. and Rvdon. Stiz. "Juan Jo8e D'Elhuuar's Notes on the k c t u r c a d TO;&" Re;gmsn li82:'~y~:w 18. 161 (19581. (2) Schuil~,3. A , and Johnso" Jean, "Berman's Fmal Chemical hcture NotDn Taken by Juan J a e D'Elhuyar in 1782." A. Sehufle, LibrsryofHighlandsU (31 D'Elhuyar, Juan J m and and Eramination
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Cavcedo. Remardo J.. "D'EIhuvar v El Sic10 XVIll Newanadino." Edition ds la & i ~ l a . Ximenez de ~uesad., ~ d i t o r i s i ~ e l l R y ,o g o t ~ ,D. E., Columbia. 1971. (No. XXRI. Miniderio de Educscion. Nacional lnstituta Colomhiano de Cultura Hisoanical. (An Enslish translation of this bmk, bv J. A. S c h d e , is availshle on request imm the Libraw. Nou Mexico Highlands University, Las Vegas, N.M. 87701.1
This column is a series of short articles on the less known events that contributed to important and interesting developments in chemistry. Living scientists are encouraged to write their own story behind the story. Manuscripts, of about two double-spaced, typewritten pages, and other inquiries should be addressed to the column editor, Dr. John Wotiz, Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, Southem Illinois University, Carbondale, Illinois 62901.
Volume 52, Number 5, May 1975 / 325
time. there was no DumD in the laboratow caoable of reaching the required-vackm. Fortunately he was able to borrow one from his old laboratory in Balliol. Another difficulty was the fact that the wrapping paper on the photographic plates was too thick. so that each plate had to be carefully mapped in black tissue instead. The tube used to get so hot that often the target materials would volatilize and destroy the vacuum. This required the tube to be evacuated once more. While practical difficulties and frustrations were overcome one bv one. Moselev had to look around for his heavier e~emkntssince few &ere available in Oxford. With Mo. Ru. Ae. -. Sb.. and Ta he used lumps of the pure metal, and in the case of Rh, W, and Au, f&s of the-metal were soldered or brazed onto copper. He was particularly interested in the rare earths which he obtained in the form of oxides from Sir William Crookes and from Dr. Schuchard in Gorlitz.' These were rubbed on the surface of nickel plates. In spite of all difficulties he began to get results by the middle of Februarv 1914. By of that year he . April . published his famous second paper having investigated all but three of the known elements between 13 and 79. The missing elements were not discovered in his lifetime, hut he did predict their spectra. Moseley's two papers are a classical example of the scientific method. When we consider the obstacles that he had to overcome we should be impressed by his tremendous drive and enthusiasm. UrbainZ visited Moseley in 1911 and spent a few days in Oxford. We can assume that in spite of language difficulties they. got on very well together for Urbain said; "He has established in a few days the conclusions of my efforts
326 / Journal of ChsrnicalEducaiion
of twenty years of patient work-his law replaced the classification of Mendeleev with one which was scientifically precise-ne of the finest chapters in the history of science." Moseley's work came to an end by the First World War. He was killed in action in August, 1915 a t an age of 27. He had preferred active military service in spite of being offered a chair in ohvsics (5). It is characteristic of his complete devotion to science that he left his considerable fortune to the Royal Society though he had had no time to become a member. His mother very generously added a further £10,000 to found a research fellowship. There is a memorial tablet to Moseley in the University of Manchester (6).All that is to be found at Oxford is a dusty looking showcase containing some of his apparatus, i.e., the two spectrometers, and a box with a series of envelopes each containing a specimen of his target materials. Literature Cited 11) Redman,L.A.. Phys Teacher, 3.151 11985). G.J.,Phii. Mag., 26,102. (1913) 13) Heilbron. John L.. lais. 189. 386 11965).
(2) Moaeley.H.
b l v s ~ c h u c h t T h oworked with
rare earth, j.e., the precipitation of AS& hydrosols by salts of the rare earths in the oeriod 1910-14. 2Ceorge t r b a i n (IR72-193r French chemtsr end artist. Disroverer nf lutetium in 19U7. Incorrectly considered in 1811 a mixture of rareeanh to beandelement (celtium,.
