Daniel Rutherford (3 November 1749 – 15 November 1819) was a Scottish physician, chemist and botanist who is known for the isolation of

nitrogen Nitrogen is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol N and atomic number 7. Nitrogen is a Nonmetal (chemistry), nonmetal and the lightest member of pnictogen, group 15 of the periodic table, often called the Pnictogen, pnictogens. ...

in 1772.

Life

Rutherford was born on 3 November 1749, the son of Anne Mackay and Professor John Rutherford (1695–1779). He began college at the age of 16 at Mundell's School on the West Bow close to his family home, and then studied medicine under William Cullen and Joseph Black at the

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh (, ; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in Post-nominal letters, post-nominals) is a Public university, public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Founded by the City of Edinburgh Council, town council under th ...

, graduating with a doctorate (MD) in 1772. From 1775 to 1786 he practiced as a physician in Edinburgh. On 12 April 1782 Rutherford was one of the founding members of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh and served as President in 1787. In 1783 he was a joint founder of the

Royal Society of Edinburgh The Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was establis ...

. In 1784 he was elected a member of the Aesculapian Club. At this time he lived at Hyndford Close on the

Royal Mile The Royal Mile () is the nickname of a series of streets forming the main thoroughfare of the Old Town, Edinburgh, Old Town of Edinburgh, Scotland. The term originated in the early 20th century and has since entered popular usage. The Royal ...

a house he (or his father) had purchased from Dunbar Douglas, 4th Earl of Selkirk He was a professor of

botany Botany, also called plant science, is the branch of natural science and biology studying plants, especially Plant anatomy, their anatomy, Plant taxonomy, taxonomy, and Plant ecology, ecology. A botanist or plant scientist is a scientist who s ...

at the

and the 5th Regius Keeper of the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh from 1786 to 1819. He was president of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh from 1796 to 1798. His pupils included Thomas Brown of Lanfine and Waterhaughs. Around 1805 he moved from Hyndfords Close to a newly built townhouse at 20 Picardy Place at the top of Leith Walk, where he lived for the rest of his life. He died suddenly in Edinburgh on 15 November 1819. His sister died two days later and the second sister (Scott's mother) only seven days after the latter.

Family

He was the uncle of novelist Sir

Walter Scott Sir Walter Scott, 1st Baronet (15 August 1771 – 21 September 1832), was a Scottish novelist, poet and historian. Many of his works remain classics of European literature, European and Scottish literature, notably the novels ''Ivanhoe'' (18 ...

. In 1786 he married Harriet Mitchelson of Middleton.

Isolation of nitrogen

Rutherford discovered nitrogen by the isolation of the particle in 1772. When Joseph Black was studying the properties of

carbon dioxide Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound with the chemical formula . It is made up of molecules that each have one carbon atom covalent bond, covalently double bonded to two oxygen atoms. It is found in a gas state at room temperature and at norma ...

, he found that a candle would not burn in it. Black turned this problem over to his student at the time, Rutherford. Rutherford kept a mouse in a space with a confined quantity of air until it died. Then, he burned a candle in the remaining air until it went out. Afterwards, he burned

phosphorus Phosphorus is a chemical element; it has Chemical symbol, symbol P and atomic number 15. All elemental forms of phosphorus are highly Reactivity (chemistry), reactive and are therefore never found in nature. They can nevertheless be prepared ar ...

in that, until it would not burn. Then the air was passed through a carbon dioxide absorbing solution. The remaining component of the air did not support combustion, and a mouse could not live in it. Rutherford called the gas (which we now know would have consisted primarily of

) "noxious air" or "phlogisticated air". Rutherford reported the experiment in 1772. He and Black were convinced of the validity of the phlogiston theory, so they explained their results in terms of it.

Botanical reference

References

External links

*
Biographical note at “Lectures and Papers of Professor Daniel Rutherford (1749–1819), and Diary of Mrs Harriet Rutherford”
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rutherford, Daniel Scottish antiquarians 1749 births 1819 deaths Discoverers of chemical elements Founder fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellows of the Linnean Society of London Industrial gases Academics of the University of Edinburgh Members of the Philosophical Society of Edinburgh Presidents of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh Scientists from Edinburgh People educated at James Mundell's School Alumni of the University of Edinburgh 18th-century Scottish botanists 19th-century Scottish botanists 18th-century British chemists 19th-century Scottish chemists 18th-century Scottish medical doctors 19th-century Scottish medical doctors Fellows of the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Medical doctors from Edinburgh Office bearers of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh Members of the Harveian Society of Edinburgh