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Charles Hatchett
Chemist

Charles Hatchett

Famoose for

Discovering the element now called niobium.

Niobium · Mines and manufactures

Born
2 January 1765
Birthplace
London
Died
1847

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Charles Hatchett

Charles Hatchett was an English chemist and mineralogist who identified a new element in a museum specimen in 1801.

Early life

Education

Born into a London coachbuilding family, he attended a private school and taught himself mineralogy and chemistry.

Career

  1. 1790s

    Scientific travel

    Visited scientists, mines and factories in Britain and Europe.

  2. 1797

    Royal Society

    Was elected a fellow.

  3. 1801

    New element

    Identified columbium, later called niobium.

  4. 1803

    Coinage report

    Reported on the composition of British gold coins.

Contributions

Niobium

Identified the element while analysing columbite from the British Museum.

Mines and manufactures

Recorded a scientific tour of England and Scotland.

Beyond research

Family

Married Elizabeth Martha Collick in 1786; their daughter married chemist William Thomas Brande.

Sources & photo creditBiography and career ↗Biographical references ↗Additional biographical or research source ↗

Original photograph. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.

Photo: Artistic portrait; Creator not stated; see image source. CC BY 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.