Carl Wilhelm Scheele

Lore & Background

His father was a grain dealer and brewer. He later worked under apothecary C. M. In Stockholm, he discovered tartaric acid and studied quicklime with Retzius.

Reader's Guide

Scheele's significance lies in his vast experimental contributions to chemistry, despite his adherence to the phlogiston theory. His work on air showed it was a mixture of 'fire air' and 'foul air.' He identified elements including barium, manganese, molybdenum, and tungsten, and discovered organic acids such as tartaric, oxalic, uric, lactic, and citric, as well as hydrofluoric, hydrocyanic, and arsenic acids. He also discovered a process similar to pasteurization. Although he never abandoned phlogiston theory, his experiments helped pave the way for its abandonment.

Did You Know?

• He identified elements including barium, manganese, molybdenum, and tungsten.
• He discovered organic acids such as tartaric, oxalic, uric, lactic, and citric.
• He discovered a process similar to pasteurization.
• Isaac Asimov called him 'hard-luck Scheele' because many of his findings were later credited to others.