Pierre Berthier (; 3 July 1782,
Nemours
Nemours () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.
Geography
Nemours is located on the Loing and its canal, c. south of Melun, on the Moret–Lyon railway. Nemours – Saint-Pierre ...
,
Seine-et-Marne
Seine-et-Marne () is a department in the Île-de-France region in Northern France. Named after the rivers Seine and Marne, it is the region's largest department with an area of 5,915 square kilometres (2,284 square miles); it roughly covers its ...
– 24 August 1861) was a French
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althoug ...
and
mining engineer.
Pierre Berthier was born in
Nemours
Nemours () is a commune in the Seine-et-Marne department in the Île-de-France region in north-central France.
Geography
Nemours is located on the Loing and its canal, c. south of Melun, on the Moret–Lyon railway. Nemours – Saint-Pierre ...
. After studying at the
École Polytechnique
École may refer to:
* an elementary school in the French educational stages normally followed by secondary education establishments (collège and lycée)
* École (river), a tributary of the Seine flowing in région Île-de-France
* École, Savoi ...
, he went to the
École des Mines, where he became chief of the laboratory in 1816. In 1821, while working in the village of
Les Baux-de-Provence
Les Baux-de-Provence (; oc, label=Provençal dialect, Provençal, Lei Bauç de Provença), commonly called Baux, is a Communes of France, commune in the Bouches-du-Rhône Departments of France, department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur Regio ...
, in southern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, he discovered the rock
bauxite
Bauxite is a sedimentary rock with a relatively high aluminium content. It is the world's main source of aluminium and gallium. Bauxite consists mostly of the aluminium minerals gibbsite (Al(OH)3), boehmite (γ-AlO(OH)) and diaspore (α-AlO ...
, named for the place of its discovery. He also discovered the mineral
Berthierite, which was named after him. In addition to numerous contributions in
mineralogy and mining, Berthier is also noted for his research into
blast furnaces and for the utilization of
phosphate
In chemistry, a phosphate is an anion, salt, functional group or ester derived from a phosphoric acid. It most commonly means orthophosphate, a derivative of orthophosphoric acid .
The phosphate or orthophosphate ion is derived from phosph ...
s by plants.
He was paralyzed by an accident in 1858.
The detailed register of homosexuals, then maintained by the Paris police prefecture, mention him as a lover of soldiers.
Awards
Pierre Berthier was elected a member of the
Académie des Sciences
The French Academy of Sciences (French: ''Académie des sciences'') is a learned society, founded in 1666 by Louis XIV at the suggestion of Jean-Baptiste Colbert, to encourage and protect the spirit of French scientific research. It was at th ...
in 1825. In 1828, he became a ''chevalier'' of the
Legion of Honor. His name is one of the
72 names inscribed on the Eiffel Tower.
References
*
1782 births
1861 deaths
People from Nemours
French geologists
École Polytechnique alumni
LGBT scientists from France
Members of the French Academy of Sciences
Chevaliers of the Légion d'honneur
{{geologist-stub