English chemist, theologian, educator, and political theorist (1733–1804)
For the English lawyer, see Joseph Child Priestley. For the British lecturer in botany, see Joseph Hubert Priestley.
Joseph Priestley
FRS
Portrait of Priestley, 1801
Born
24 March [O.S. 13 March] 1733
Birstall, Yorkshire, England
Died
6 February 1804(1804-02-06) (aged 70)
Northumberland, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupations
Chemist
natural philosopher
theologian
grammarian
teacher
Known for
Discovery of oxygen (O2) and nine other gases (including carbon monoxide (CO), nitric oxide (NO), nitrous oxide (N2O), ammonia (NH3), sulphur dioxide (SO2), and nitrogen peroxide (N2O4)
Discovery of the carbon cycle
Awards
Fellow of the Royal Society (1766)[1]
Copley Medal (1772)[2]
Joseph PriestleyFRS (/ˈpriːstli/;[3] 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject educator, and liberal political theorist.[4] He published over 150 works, and conducted experiments in several areas of science.[5][6]
Priestley is credited with his independent discovery of oxygen by the thermal decomposition of mercuric oxide,[7] having isolated it in 1774.[8] During his lifetime, Priestley's considerable scientific reputation rested on his invention of carbonated water, his writings on electricity, and his discovery of several "airs" (gases), the most famous[9] being what Priestley dubbed "dephlogisticated air" (oxygen). Priestley's determination to defend phlogiston theory and to reject what would become the chemical revolution eventually left him isolated within the scientific community.
Priestley's science was integral to his theology, and he consistently tried to fuse Enlightenment rationalism with Christian theism.[10] In his metaphysical texts, Priestley attempted to combine theism, materialism, and determinism, a project that has been called "audacious and original".[11] He believed that a proper understanding of the natural world would promote human progress and eventually bring about the Christian millennium.[11] Priestley, who strongly believed in the free and open exchange of ideas, advocated toleration and equal rights for religious Dissenters, which also led him to help found Unitarianism in England. The controversial nature of Priestley's publications, combined with his outspoken support of the American Revolution and later the French Revolution,[12][13] aroused public and governmental contempt; eventually forcing him to flee in 1791, first to London and then to the United States, after a mob burned down his Birmingham home and church. He spent his last ten years in Northumberland County, Pennsylvania.
A scholar and teacher throughout his life, Priestley made significant contributions to pedagogy, including the publication of a seminal work on English grammar and books on history; he prepared some of the most influential early timelines. The educational writings were among Priestley's most popular works. Arguably his metaphysical works, however, had the most lasting influence, as now considered primary sources for utilitarianism by philosophers such as Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill, and Herbert Spencer.
^"List of Fellows of the Royal Society 1660 – 2007, K – Z". royalsociety.org. The Royal Society. Archived from the original on 12 December 2007. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
^"Copley archive winners 1799–1731". royalsociety.org. The Royal Society. Archived from the original on 11 January 2008. Retrieved 1 August 2019.
^"Priestley" Archived 30 October 2014 at the Wayback Machine: Collins English Dictionary – Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition.
^Cite error: The named reference oxford2004 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
^Isaacson, 2004, pp. 140–141, 289
^Schofield, 1997, p. 142
^H. I. Schlesinger (1950). General Chemistry (4th ed.). p. 134.
^Although Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele also has strong claims to the discovery, Priestley published his findings first. Scheele discovered it by heating potassium nitrate, mercuric oxide, and many other substances in about 1772.
^"Joseph Priestley, Discoverer of Oxygen National Historic Chemical Landmark". American Chemical Society. Retrieved 21 May 2021.
JosephPriestley FRS (/ˈpriːstli/; 24 March 1733 – 6 February 1804) was an English chemist, natural philosopher, separatist theologian, grammarian, multi-subject...
The JosephPriestley House was the American home of eighteenth-century British theologian, Dissenting clergyman, natural philosopher (and co-discoverer...
aerate water with carbon dioxide was William Brownrigg in the 1740s. JosephPriestley invented carbonated water, independently and by accident, in 1767 when...
with only a part of atmospheric air. In October the English chemist JosephPriestley visited Paris, where he met Lavoisier and told him of the air which...
chemists credited with discovering chemical elements include JosephPriestley, Henry Cavendish, Joseph Black, Daniel Rutherford, and Carl Scheele. Other individuals...
Edgeworth, Samuel Galton, Jr., Robert Augustus Johnson, James Keir, JosephPriestley, William Small, Jonathan Stokes, James Watt, Josiah Wedgwood, John...
machines. Within a decade of the invention of carbonated water by JosephPriestley in 1767, inventors in Britain and in Europe had used his concept to...
earlier, and JosephPriestley in Wiltshire, in 1774. Priority is often given for Priestley because his work was published first. Priestley, however, called...
field of chemistry. Established in 1922, the award is named after JosephPriestley, one of the discoverers of oxygen, who immigrated to the United States...
resulted in the identification (c. 1771) and naming (1777) of oxygen by JosephPriestley. Phlogiston theory states that phlogisticated substances contain phlogiston...
denomination in 1774 when Theophilus Lindsey organised meetings with JosephPriestley, founding the first avowedly Unitarian congregation in the country...
water, based on a process discovered by JosephPriestley in 1767. His company, Schweppes, regards Priestley as “the father of our industry”. Schweppe...
Look up Priestley in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. Priestley may refer to: Priestley, West Virginia, US, an unincorporated community Priestley Glacier...
artificially carbonated but lacks added minerals. English chemist JosephPriestley discovered an artificial method for producing carbonated water, described...
dissenters, most notably the politically and theologically controversial JosephPriestley. Both local and national issues stirred the passions of the rioters...
Sir Joseph Child Priestley, KC, JP, DL (11 January 1862 – 9 June 1941) was an English barrister and magistrate, active in public life in Hertfordshire...
made short journeys through different parts of England, staying with JosephPriestley at Leeds, Thomas Percival at Manchester and Erasmus Darwin at Lichfield...
JosephPriestley College was a further education college founded in 1955 serving the communities of South Leeds, West Yorkshire, England. It was named...
JosephPriestley (24 March [O.S. 13 March] 1733 – 8 February 1804) was a British natural philosopher, Dissenting clergyman, political theorist, and theologian...
German pharmaceutical chemist. Scheele discovered oxygen (although JosephPriestley published his findings first), and identified molybdenum, tungsten...
Platonic elements in Christianity. He admired the religious work of JosephPriestley (an English chemist and theologian who moved to America). In private...
JosephPriestley (1733–1804) was a British natural philosopher, Dissenting clergyman, political theorist, theologian, and educator. He is best known for...
JosephPriestley (13 March 1733 (old style) – 8 February 1804) was a British natural philosopher, political theorist, clergyman, theologian, and educator...
sulfuric acid; he mentioned the gas in his Physica Subterranea (1669). JosephPriestley also mentions the gas in his Experiments and observations relating...
and pinhole. Burning lenses were used in the 18th century by both JosephPriestley and Antoine Lavoisier in their experiments to obtain oxides contained...
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