Jons Jakob Baron Berzelius

Jöns Jakob Berzelius, Baron , 1779-1848, Swedish chemist, M.D. Univ. of Uppsala, 1802. He was noted for his work as teacher at the medical school and other institutions in Stockholm and for his discoveries in diverse fields of chemistry. He developed the modern system of symbols and formulas in chemistry, prepared a remarkably accurate table of atomic weights, analyzed numerous chemical compounds, and discovered the elements selenium, thorium, and cerium. Silicon in the amorphous form was first prepared by Berzelius, and he was the first to isolate zirconium. Berzelius coined the words isomerism, allotropy, and protein. He also contributed to the science of electrochemistry and wrote numerous books.

Bibliography: See study by J. Eric Jorpes (tr. 1971).

Berzelius, Jöns Jakob, Baron (1779–1848) Swedish chemist, one of the founders of modern chemistry. His accomplishments include the discovery of cerium, selenium, and thorium; the isolation of the elements silicon, zirconium, and titanium; the determination of relative atomic masses; and the devising of a modern system of chemical symbols. He prepared the first periodic table of relative atomic masses and contributed to the founding of the theory of radicals.