Scheele

Part of speech: noun, proper noun

Definitions

1. A notable 18th-century chemist recognized for his contributions to the understanding of chlorine and other chemical compounds
2. A historical figure in the field of chemistry acclaimed for his discovery of various elements and reactions
3. An influential scientist whose work laid groundwork for advancements in the field of analytical and inorganic chemistry

Etymology: Scheele is a surname, and the word is in use as a proper noun because of one man: Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742–1786), a Swedish pharmacist who isolated oxygen, chlorine, glycerol and several other substances, often independently of his better-known contemporaries. Because so many chemical discoveries of the period bear his name, "Scheele" survives in the names of compounds and reactions, such as Scheele's green, a copper arsenite pigment that was widely used in wallpaper and paint in the nineteenth century. Scheele was a self-taught experimenter who worked in small provincial pharmacies, first in Malmö and later in Köping, and he published his results in Swedish and German journals. Many of his discoveries were announced after rivals had already published similar findings, which is why historians often describe him as a chemist whose priority was overshadowed. The word's use as a term for him reflects that reputation: the name has come to stand for the careful experimenter whose work is central to the history of analytical and inorganic chemistry.