Humphry Davy and Rutherford

By Illa Vij

HUMPHRY DAVY, an eminent scientist, was born on December 17, 1778, in Penzance, England. His father was a poor woodcarver. Davy lost his father at an early age. His mother, in a state of poverty, was left to bring up five children. Davy worked as an apprentice to a surgeon, Apothecary.

Davy developed an interest in science, and tried conducting experiments with whatever material he could collect. In 1798, he began working for Dr Thomas Beddoes, who was experimenting with gases. Davy tried experimenting on himself. He inhaled nitrous oxide, which made him deliriously happy. Some of his friends too inhaled the same gas and together they danced around the laboratory! Davy suggested its use for anaesthesia during surgery but it was many many years later that it came to be used for that purpose.

He wrote a report on the research conducted by him on the Voltaic cell. He experimented with chemicals and discovered chlorine. By passing electricity through molten metallic compounds, he discovered potassium in 1807 and the following year, sodium, calcium, barium, magnesium and strontium.

A disastrous mine explosion rocked England in 1812. Ninetytwo persons died in the explosion that ripped apart the pits that were being dug, about 600 ft below the surface. The raging fire was uncontrollable.

England’s upcoming scientist Humphry Davy, began working on a scientific solution to this problem.

After several weeks of investigations, experiments, he finally found a solution. It was a known fact that the candles and lamps used by miners caused a gas, which is now called methane. In those days, it was called ‘fire damp’. Davy invented miner’s safety lamp, known as the Davy lamp. The lamp was designed in a manner to enable the effective conduction of the heat of the lamp. Because of this, the methane gas outside the miners’ lamp could not reach its kindling temperature and the explosion could be controlled. The lamp was used in every mine in Europe and it was soon universally accepted.

In 1812, Davy was knighted and in the same year he also got married. He went on a tour of Europe’s laboratories. Michael Faraday, his assistant accompanied him. Davy died in 1829, leaving behind his wonderful works that has made his name immortal in the field of science.

Lord Ernest Rutherford

Lord Ernest Rutherford was one of the world’s greatest experimental scientists. His keen observations and a series of brilliant experiments helped him to prove that nature was a wonderful alchemist. He proved that uranium and thorium compounds spontaneously emit radiations which slowly and automatically change these substances into new and lighter elements, like radium and polonium.

They further disintegrate into lighter substances, till they turn into a stable form of lead.

Ernest was born on August 30, 1871, in Nelson, New Zealand. His parents valued education and encouraged him in every field. He won awards in Latin, French, English literature, history, mathematics, physics and chemistry.

He graduated in 1889 and gained scholarship for unversity education. His interest in physics grew stronger and he became deeply interested in the electromagnetic theory and radio waves.

He invented a magnetic detector for radio waves. In 1895, while working with Sir J.J. Thomson, he heard about the discovery of X-rays. Rutherford showed great interest in X-rays and helped Thomson prepare his paper, announcing the electron. In spite of the discoveries of Thomson, and other scientists, chemistry was still based on the theory that atom was the smallest indivisible particle of matter. In 1902, Rutherford proved that radioactive elements were disintegrating continuously and spontaneously.

At the age of 36, Rutherford discovered the nucleus of the atom. He continued his research work and declared that the electrons were negatively charged and the nucleus had to be positively charged to make the atom neutral. A Danish scientist, Niels Bohr, was working with him. He drew a clear picture of the part played by electrons and together they presented the theory of the nuclear atom.

In 1919, Rutherford succeeded Sir J.J. Thomson as Cavendish Professor of Experimental Physics at Cambridge.

This became one of the greatest research centres of the world. Rutherford proved to be a great experimentalist, an inspiring teacher and an outstanding influence on the general development of science.

Rutherford died unexpectedly in 1937, leaving behind a richer field of science.