Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld
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Nils Gustaf Nordenskiöld (October 12, 1792 – February 2, 1866) was a Finnish
mineralogist Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...
and traveller. He was the father of
mineralogist Mineralogy is a subject of geology specializing in the scientific study of the chemistry, crystal structure, and physical (including optical) properties of minerals and mineralized artifacts. Specific studies within mineralogy include the proce ...
and polar explorer
Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (18 November 183212 August 1901) was a Finland-Swedish aristocrat, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer. He was a member of the Fenno-Swedish Nordenskiöld family of scientists and held the title of a friher ...
.


Life

Nordenskiöld was born on October 12, 1792, in Mäntsälä in southern
Finland Finland ( fi, Suomi ; sv, Finland ), officially the Republic of Finland (; ), is a Nordic country in Northern Europe. It shares land borders with Sweden to the northwest, Norway to the north, and Russia to the east, with the Gulf of B ...
, which was then part of the Kingdom of Sweden. After studying mineralogy in Helsingfors, now better known as
Helsinki Helsinki ( or ; ; sv, Helsingfors, ) is the capital, primate, and most populous city of Finland. Located on the shore of the Gulf of Finland, it is the seat of the region of Uusimaa in southern Finland, and has a population of . The city ...
, and in Sweden, Nordenskiöld was appointed an inspector of mines in Finland. Finland had by now been transferred to
Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-eig ...
, as an autonomous Grand Duchy. On October 3, 1819, Nordenskiöld was elected a corresponding member of the
Russian Academy of Sciences The Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS; russian: Росси́йская акаде́мия нау́к (РАН) ''Rossíyskaya akadémiya naúk'') consists of the national academy of Russia; a network of scientific research institutes from across ...
. The Academy had been established pursuant to the order of the Peter I of Russia by the Decree of the Ruling Senate dated January 28 (February 8), 1724. In 1853, he was also elected a foreign member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. Nordenskiöld described and discovered a number of minerals previously unknown in Finland and Russia. In 1820, Nordenskiöld published a treatise, which was renowned as the first scientific handbook on Finnish minerals. He also published a number of articles in foreign journals, which brought him to notice far beyond
Scandinavia Scandinavia; Sámi languages: /. ( ) is a subregion in Northern Europe, with strong historical, cultural, and linguistic ties between its constituent peoples. In English usage, ''Scandinavia'' most commonly refers to Denmark, Norway, and Swe ...
. In future years, he was to ensure that his son,
Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld Nils Adolf Erik Nordenskiöld (18 November 183212 August 1901) was a Finland-Swedish aristocrat, geologist, mineralogist and Arctic explorer. He was a member of the Fenno-Swedish Nordenskiöld family of scientists and held the title of a friher ...
, shared this knowledge and became renowned as an explorer in his own right.Alexandrite chronological backstory.
(2006, December 7). In Alexandrite.net, Tsarstone collectors guide. Retrieved online 12:46, February 26, 2007
Nordenskiöld returned to Finland in 1823 and in 1828 was appointed superintendent of the newly established Mining Board in Helsingfors, a post he held until his death in 1865.


Gemstone discoveries

According to a widely popular but controversial story, alexandrite was discovered by Nordenskiöld, on the tsarevitch Alexander's sixteenth birthday on April 17, 1834 and named Alexandrite in honor of the future
Tsar Tsar ( or ), also spelled ''czar'', ''tzar'', or ''csar'', is a title used by East and South Slavic monarchs. The term is derived from the Latin word ''caesar'', which was intended to mean "emperor" in the European medieval sense of the ter ...
Alexander II of Russia. Although it was Nordenskiöld who discovered alexandrite, he could not possibly have discovered and named it on Alexander's birthday. Nordenskiöld's initial discovery occurred as a result an examination of a newly found mineral sample he had received from Count Lev Alekseevich Perovskii (1792–1856), which he identified it as emerald at first. Confused with the high hardness, he decided to continue his examinations. Later that evening, while looking at the specimen under candlelight, he was surprised to see that the color of the stone had changed to raspberry-red instead of green. Later, he confirmed the discovery of a new variety of
chrysoberyl The mineral or gemstone chrysoberyl is an aluminate of beryllium with the formula Be Al2 O4. The name chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek words χρυσός ''chrysos'' and βήρυλλος ''beryllos'', meaning "a gold-white spar". Despite ...
, and suggested the name "diaphanite"(from the Greek "di" two and "aphanes", unseen or "phan", to appear, or show). Perovskii however had his own plans and used the rare specimen to ingratiate himself with the Imperial family by presenting it to the future Tsar and naming it Alexandrite in his honor on April 17, 1834, but it wasn't until 1842 that the description of the color changing
chrysoberyl The mineral or gemstone chrysoberyl is an aluminate of beryllium with the formula Be Al2 O4. The name chrysoberyl is derived from the Greek words χρυσός ''chrysos'' and βήρυλλος ''beryllos'', meaning "a gold-white spar". Despite ...
was published for the first time under the name of alexandrite.Chapter 2: Diaphanite or Alexandrite?
(2006, December 7). In Alexandrite.net, Tsarstone collectors guide. Retrieved online 12:40, February 26, 2007


Other minerals

Other minerals described by Nordenskiöld include : * anorthite, under the name of amphodelite * ainalite in 1855, a variety of cassiterite"Beskrifnung oefver de i Finland funna Min.", Helsinfors(162) p.1855 * samarskite-(Y), under the name of adelpholite in 1855 *
crookesite Crookesite is a selenide mineral composed of copper and selenium with variable thallium and silver. Characteristics Its chemical formula is reported either as or .http://www.mindat.org/min-1159.html Mindat It is formed by precipitation from hy ...
in 1866 * kämmererite in 1841, a variety of
clinochlore The chlorites are the group of phyllosilicate minerals common in low-grade metamorphic rocks and in Mineral alteration, altered igneous rocks. Greenschist, formed by metamorphism of basalt or other low-silica volcanic rock, typically contains si ...
* lazur-apatite in 1857, a variety of apatite * anorthite, under the name of lepoliteArchives des sciences physiques et naturelles, vol. 11-13, p. 315, 1849 In 1849, Nordenskjold examined what was known as "Ural's chrysolite" and discovered that it was a rich green variety of andradite garnet. In 1854, he proposed for it the name demantoid ("like a diamond").


See also

*
List of minerals This is a list of minerals for which there are articles on Wikipedia. Minerals are distinguished by various chemical and physical properties. Differences in chemical composition and crystal structure distinguish the various ''species''. Within a m ...
*
List of geologists A geologist is a contributor to the science of geology. Geologists are also known as earth scientists or geoscientists. The following is a list of notable geologists. Many have received such awards as the Penrose Medal or the Wollaston Medal, ...


References


External links


Letter exchange
between Nordenskiöld and Berzelius on
Wikisource Wikisource is an online digital library of free-content textual sources on a wiki, operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. Wikisource is the name of the project as a whole and the name for each instance of that project (each instance usually re ...
(Swedish with presentation and abstracts in French)
Alexandrite Tsarstone Collectors GuideThe Russian Academy of SciencesRecords of University of Helsinki
{{DEFAULTSORT:Nordenskiold, Nils Gustaf 1792 births 1866 deaths People from Mäntsälä Swedish-speaking Finns Swedish nobility Finnish mineralogists Members of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences