Jean François Orcel (3 May 1896 – 27 March 1978) was a French mineralogist who contributed to the French nuclear energy program following the discovery of Uranium vanadate deposits in Morocco. He served as a mineralogist at the

Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle The French National Museum of Natural History, known in French as the ' (abbreviation MNHN), is the national natural history museum of France and a ' of higher education part of Sorbonne Universities. The main museum, with four galleries, is loc ...

in Paris. He later specialized in the chemistry of meteorites. Orcel was born in Paris where his father Edouard was a public works engineer. His mother Pauline Lesuisse was a teacher. After studies at the Lycée Henri IV he went on to study at Sorbonne even though

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

broke out as poor health disqualified him from conscription. He became an assistant to

Frédéric Wallerant Frédéric and Frédérick are the French versions of the common male given name Frederick. They may refer to: In artistry: * Frédéric Back, Canadian award-winning animator * Frédéric Bartholdi, French sculptor * Frédéric Bazille, Impressi ...

in 1917 and in 1920 he joined the Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle working under

Alfred Lacroix Antoine François Alfred Lacroix (4 February 186312 March 1948) was a French mineralogist and geologist. He was born in Mâcon, Saône-et-Loire. Education Lacroix completed a D. s Sc. in Paris in 1889, as student of Ferdinand André Fouqué. F ...

. After Lacroix's retirement in 1937, Orcel succeeded him as professor of mineralogy. Orcel studied phyllosilicates and chlorites, examining water of crystallization in his doctoral work. He also went on field expeditions, collecting minerals and developing geological maps. He was involved in the acquisition of the mineral collection of Colonel Louis Vésigné (1870-1954). He examined the optical properties and polarization of minerals including methods for dealing with opaque minerals. During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he was involved in the

resistance Resistance may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Comics * Either of two similarly named but otherwise unrelated comic book series, both published by Wildstorm: ** ''Resistance'' (comics), based on the video game of the same title ** ''T ...

and in protecting the precious holdings of the museum. Following the war, he was involved in prospecting for uranium salts along with Louis Barrabé of which were found in Morocco. After retirement, he took an interest in meteorite chemistry. A mineral of nickel arsenate was named as Orcelite by his student Simone Caillère in 1959. He also worked with the meteorite researcher Elisabeth Jeremine (1879-1964).

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Orcel, Jean 1896 births 1978 deaths French mineralogists People from Paris University of Paris alumni