Jean Hellot (20 November 1685 – 13 February 1766) was a French chemist who contributed to early studies on phosphorus and worked on applied aspects in dyeing, metallurgy, mining, and porcelain manufacture. Hellot was born in Paris to Michel and Marie-Anne Reynaud, and was taught at home and expected to follow a career in the clergy. A book on chemistry belonging to his grandfather made him interested in science and this was furthered by Etienne-Francois Geoffroy (1672-1731) who was married later married a niece of Hellot. Hellot also met

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and Daniel Newton on trips to England. He became director of the newspaper Gazette de France from 1718 to 1738 and through journalism, became a friend of many French scientists. His first chemistry research was published in 1735 and in 1736 he became an assistant chemist at the

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, succeeding

Charles Marie de la Condamine Charles Marie de La Condamine (; 28 January 1701 – 4 February 1774) was a French explorer, geographer, and mathematician. He spent ten years in territory which is now Ecuador, measuring the length of a degree of latitude at the equator and pre ...

(1701-1774). He rose to the position of chief chemist in 1743 after the death of

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. Hellot's contributions to chemistry include studies on dyeing and mordants for wool. He also demonstrated that colors in precious minerals were due to gaseous additives at the time of formation. Hellot studied the formulation and assaying of metals and their alloys and techniques for refining metal. In 1763 he was part of committee to examine fire hazards in a coalmine in Briancon. Hellot also researched invisible inks, examined methods for extraction of phosphorus from urine, the production of ether, and the manufacture of porcelain. Hellot married Denis, a distant relative at the age of 65 in 1750. He died of apoplexy and was buried at the Chapelle de la Communion, Greve.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hellot, Jean 18th-century French chemists 1685 births 1766 deaths 18th-century French journalists