Scientist Datebook: August 21
Jean Servais Stas was born August 21, 1813. He is known for his accurate determination of atomic weights, a most skillful chemical analyst of the 19th century.
Stas was born in Leuven. Initially, he trained as a physician but later changed to chemistry and worked at the Polytechnic School in Paris under Jean-Baptiste Dumas. The two of them setup the atomic weight of carbon by weighing a sample of the pure material, burned it in pure oxygen, then weighed the carbon dioxide produced.
Belgian Analytical Chemist
Jean Servais Stas was born August 21, 1813. He is known for his accurate determination of atomic weights, a most skillful chemical analyst of the 19th century.Stas was born in Leuven. Initially, he trained as a physician but later changed to chemistry and worked at the Polytechnic School in Paris under Jean-Baptiste Dumas. The two of them setup the atomic weight of carbon by weighing a sample of the pure material, burned it in pure oxygen, then weighed the carbon dioxide produced.