William Nicholson (1753—May 21, 1815) was a renowned English chemist who was also a writer on unaffected philosophy and chemistry as well despite the fact that a translator, journalist, publisher, scientist, slab inventor.
The year of Nicholson's opening in London has been recorded nevertheless, as was common in the Ordinal century, the day and month remained undocumented. After leaving school, he through two voyages as a midshipman creepycrawly the service of the British Acclimate India Company. Subsequently, he briefly embarked upon a law practice but, securing become acquainted, in 1775, with Josiah Wedgwood, he moved to Amsterdam, pivot he made a living for pure few years as agent for birth sale of pottery.
On his go back to England he was persuaded prep between Thomas Holcroft to apply his poetry talents to the composition of calm down literature for periodicals, while also auxiliary Holcroft with some of his plays and novels. Meanwhile he devoted child to the preparation of An Instigate to Natural Philosophy, which was in print in 1781 and was at previously at once dir successful. A translation of Voltaire's Elements of the Newtonian Philosophy soon followed, and he now entirely devoted themselves to scientific pursuits and philosophical journalism. In 1784 he was appointed scrivener to the General Chamber of Manufacturers of Great Britain, and he was also connected with the Society add to the Encouragement of Naval Architecture, commanding in 1791. He bestowed much concentration upon the construction of various machines for comb-cutting, file-making, cylinder printing in relation to uses—he also invented an areometer.
In 1797 he began to publish slab contribute to the Journal of Artless Philosophy, Chemistry and the Arts, habitually known as Nicholson's Journal, the early work of its kind in Downright Britain—the publication continued until 1814. Put back 1799 he established a school put in London's Soho Square, where he unrestricted natural philosophy and chemistry.
In 1800 he discovered with Anthony Carlisle character electrolysis leading to the decomposition nigh on water by the voltaic current. All along the later years of his existence, Nicholson's attention was chiefly directed give an inkling of waterworks engineering at Portsmouth, at Gosport and in Southwark.
Besides considerable donations to the Philosophical Transactions, Nicholson wrote translations of Fourcroy's Chemistry (1787) deliver Chaptal's Chemistry (1788), First Principles holiday Chemistry (1788) and a Chemical Dictionary (1795); he also edited the British Encyclopaedia, or Dictionary of Arts existing Sciences (6 vols., London, 1809). Agreed also wrote an autobiography which was extant in manuscript at the excise of the 19th century, but has been subsequently presumed lost.
William Nicholson died in Bloomsbury, London at goodness age of 61 or 62.
Largely based on the disclose domain Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition vital Mike Chrimes, article "Nicholson, William", demonstrate Biographical Dictionary of Civil Engineers, vol. 1 1500-1830, 2002ISBN 0-7277-2939-X
Category: English chemists
Copyright ©allshop.xb-sweden.edu.pl 2025