Jean Stas

Jean Servais Stas (August 21, 1813 - December 13, 1891) was a Belgian analytical chemist.

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Stas was born in Leuven and trained initially as a physician. He later switched to chemistry and worked at the ?cole Polytechnique in Paris under the direction of Jean-Baptiste Dumas, with whom he established the atomic weight of carbon.

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In 1840, he was appointed professor at the Royal Military School in Brussels. He acquired international fame by establishing the atomic weights of the elements more accurately than had ever been done before, using oxygen = 16 as a standard. His results disproved the hypothesis of the English physicist William Prout that all atomic weights must be integral multiples of that of hydrogen. Stas thus laid the foundations for the formation of the periodic system of elements by (among others) Dmitri Mendeleev.

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Stas retired in 1869 because of problems with his voice caused by a throat ailment. He became commissioner of the mint, but resigned in 1872 because he disagreed with the government's monetary policy. Jean Stas died in Brussels.

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August 21: August 21 is the 233rd day of the year (234th in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar. There are 132 days remaining....

1813: 1813 is a common year starting on Friday (link will take you to calendar)....

December 13: December 13 is the 347th day of the year (348th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. There are 18 days remaining....

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