Humphry Davy (1778-1829) was an English chemist who conducted some early experiments using electrolysis. This process offered a way of isolating metals from the compounds in which they are naturally found. As a result, Davy discovered potassium, sodium and calcium because he was able to separate the metals into their pure form.
Humphry Davy was a pioneer in the field of electrochemistry who used electrolysis to isolate many elements from the compounds in which they occur naturally.
Davy Electrolysis is the process by which an electrolyte is altered or decomposed by applying an electric current. In addition to his isolation of sodium, potassium and other alkaline earth metals, electrolysis enabled Davy to disprove the view proposed by French chemist Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier that oxygen was an essential component of all acids. When Davy decomposed hydrochloric acid (then known as muriatic acid), he found that it consisted solely of hydrogen and chlorine.
Humphry Davy (17 December 1778 – 29 May 1829) was a Cornish chemist and inventor, who is best remembered today for isolating, by using electricity, a series of elements for the first time: potassium and sodium in 1807 and calcium, strontium, barium, magnesium and boron the following year, as well as discovering the elemental nature of chlorine and iodine. Davy also studied the forces involved in these separations, inventing the new field of electrochemistry.
In 1799, he experimented with nitrous oxide and was astonished at how it made him laugh, so he nicknamed it “laughing gas” and wrote about its potential anaesthetics properties in relieving pain during surgery. He also invented the Davy lamp and a very early form of arc lamp. He joked that his assistant Michael Faraday was his greatest discovery.
Picture Credit : Google