He was called the king of intuition. Joseph Priestley remained in history the author of fundamental discoveries in the field of gas chemistry and in the theory of electricity. He was a Theosophist and a priest, who was called an "honest heretic."
Priestley is the greatest intellectual of the second half of the 18th century, who left a noticeable mark on philosophy and philology, and he is also the inventor of sparkling water and an eraser for erasing pencil lines from paper.
early years
The eldest of six children of a conservative draper's family, Joseph Priestley was born in the spring of 1733 in the small village of Filshead near Leeds. The difficult circumstances of early childhood forced parents to give Joseph to his aunt's family, who decided to prepare her nephew for the career of an Anglican priest. He was awaited by strict upbringing and a good theological and humanitarian education.
The early shown abilities and zeal allowed Priestley to successfully complete Betley's gymnasium, where now there is a faculty of his name, and the Theological Academy in Deventry. He attended a course in natural sciences and chemistry at Warrington University, which prompted him to organize a home laboratory and begin independent scientific experiments.
Priest scientist
In 1755, Joseph Priestley became assistant pastor, but was officially ordained in 1762. This was an unusual minister of the church. Well educated, knowing 9 living and dead languages, in 1761 he wrote the book "Fundamentals of English Grammar." This textbook was relevant for the next half century.
Possessing a living analytical mind, Joseph Priestley shaped his religious beliefs, becoming acquainted with the works of leading philosophers and theologians. As a result, he departed from those dogmas that were suggested to him in the family at birth. He went from Calvinism to Arianism, and then to an even more rational stream - Unitarianism.
Despite the stutter that arose after his childhood illness, Priestley did a lot of preaching and teaching, getting to know Benjamin Franklin, an outstanding scientist of the time, intensified Joseph Priestley’s science.
Experiences in the field of electricity
Franklin's main science was physics. Electricity aroused great interest in Priestley, and on the advice of one of the future founding fathers of the USA, in 1767 he published the work "History and Current State of Electricity." Several fundamental discoveries were published in it, which brought the author well-deserved fame in the circles of English and European scientists.
The electrical conductivity of graphite, discovered by Priestley, subsequently acquired great practical importance. Pure carbon has become a component of many electrical devices. Priestley described the experience of electrostatics, as a result of which he concluded that the magnitude of the electrical effects and the Newtonian forces of gravity are similar . The assumption made by him about the law of “inverse squares” was then reflected in the fundamental law of the theory of electricity - the law of Coulomb.
Carbon dioxide
Physics, electricity, conductivity, charge interactions are not the only scientific interests of Priestley. He found research topics in the most unexpected places. The work that led to the discovery of carbon dioxide was started by him during the observation of the brewing industry.
In 1772, Priestley drew attention to the properties of the gas that was formed during the fermentation of wort. It was carbon dioxide. Priestley developed a method for producing gas in the laboratory, discovered that it is heavier than air, makes combustion difficult and dissolves well in water, giving it an unusual, refreshing taste.
Photosynthesis
Continuing experiments with carbon dioxide, Priestley set the experiment with which the history of the discovery of the phenomenon of photosynthesis, which is fundamental for the existence of life on the planet, began. Placing an shoot of a green plant under a glass container, he lit a candle and filled the container with carbon dioxide. After some time, he placed living mice there and tried to light a fire. Animals continued to live, and burning continued.
Priestley was the first person to observe photosynthesis. To explain the appearance of a gas under a closed container, capable of supporting respiration and burning, it was possible only by the ability of plants to absorb carbon dioxide and secrete another, life-giving substance. The experimental results became the basis for the birth of future global physical theories, including the law of conservation of energy. But the first conclusions of the scientist were in line with the then science.
Joseph Priestley explained photosynthesis in terms of phlogiston theory. Its author - Georg Ernst Stahl - suggested the presence of a special substance in the combustible substances - weightless fluids - phlogistons, and the combustion process consists in the decomposition of the substance into its constituent components and the absorption of phlogistons in air. Priestley remained a supporter of this theory even after he made his most important discovery - he released oxygen.
Main discovery
Many of Joseph Priestley's experiments led to results that were correctly explained by other scientists. He designed a device where the resulting gases were not separated from the air by water, but by another, more dense liquid - mercury. As a result, he was able to isolate volatile substances that were previously dissolved in water.
Priestley's first new gas was nitrous oxide. He discovered an unusual effect on people, which is why an unusual name appeared - laughing gas. Subsequently, it began to be used as surgical anesthesia.
In 1774, a scientist managed to isolate a gas from a substance later defined as mercury oxide, in which the candle began to burn surprisingly brightly. He called it de-logo air. Priestley retained the conviction of this nature of burning, even when Antoine Lavoisier proved that the discovery of Joseph Priestley is a substance possessing properties that are essential for the whole process of life. The new gas was called oxygen.
Chemistry and life
Carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, oxygen - the study of these gases provided Priestley a place in the history of chemistry. Determining the composition of the gases involved in the process of photosynthesis is the scientist's contribution to biology. Experiments with electric charges, methods for the decomposition of ammonia using electricity, and optics have earned the authority of physicists.
The discovery made by Priestley on April 15, 1770, is not so fundamental. It has made life easier for many generations of schoolchildren and office workers. The story of the discovery began with the fact that Priestley discovered how a piece of rubber from India perfectly erases pencil lines from paper. So rubber appeared - what we call an eraser.
Priestley's philosophical and religious convictions were independent, which earned him the glory of a rebellious thinker. Priestley’s book The History of the Corruption of Christianity (1782) and his support for the revolutions in France and America aroused the anger of the most ardent English conservatives.
When he celebrated the anniversary of the capture of the Bastille in 1791 with like-minded people , a crowd heated by the preachers destroyed the Priestley’s home and laboratory in Birmingham. Three years later he was forced to emigrate to the United States, where in 1804 his days ended.
Great amateur
Priestley's religious, social and political activities are a huge contribution to the intellectual development of Europe, America and the whole world. A materialist and a staunch opponent of tyranny, he actively communicated with the most independent minds of that era.
This man was considered by many to be an amateur, he was called a scientist who did not receive a regular and complete science education, Priestley was blamed for the fact that he could not fully understand the importance of his discoveries.
But the other Joseph Priestley has remained for centuries. His biography is a bright page in world history. This is the life of an outstanding scholar, a convinced preacher of the most progressive ideas, an honorary member of all the leading scientific academies in Europe and the world - the Scientist who made a significant contribution to the formation of fundamental theories of natural science.