Jacques-Louis Soret (30 June 1827 – 13 May 1890) was a

Swiss Swiss may refer to: * the adjectival form of Switzerland * Swiss people Places * Swiss, Missouri * Swiss, North Carolina *Swiss, West Virginia * Swiss, Wisconsin Other uses *Swiss-system tournament, in various games and sports *Swiss Internation ...

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

and

spectroscopist Spectroscopy is the field of study that measures and interprets the electromagnetic spectra that result from the interaction between electromagnetic radiation and matter as a function of the wavelength or frequency of the radiation. Matter wav ...

. He studied both spectroscopy and

electrolysis In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a technique that uses direct electric current (DC) to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction. Electrolysis is commercially important as a stage in the separation of elements from n ...

. He held the chairs of chemistry (1873-1887) and medical physics (1887-1890) at the

University of Geneva The University of Geneva (French: ''Université de Genève'') is a public research university located in Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded in 1559 by John Calvin as a theological seminary. It remained focused on theology until the 17th centu ...

. Soret determined the chemical composition and density of

ozone Ozone (), or trioxygen, is an inorganic molecule with the chemical formula . It is a pale blue gas with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope , breaking down in the lo ...

and the conditions for its production. He described it correctly as being composed of three oxygen atoms bound together. Soret also developed optical instruments. He climbed Mont Blanc, where he was the first scientist to make actinometric measurements of

solar radiation Solar irradiance is the power per unit area (surface power density) received from the Sun in the form of electromagnetic radiation in the wavelength range of the measuring instrument. Solar irradiance is measured in watts per square metre (W/m ...

. These observations were published in the ''Philosophical Magazine'' in 1867. In 1878, he and

Marc Delafontaine Marc Delafontaine (March 31, 1837/1838, Céligny, Switzerland–1911) was a Swiss chemist and spectroscopist who was involved in discovering and investigating some of the rare earth elements. Career Delafontaine studied with Jean Charles Galis ...

were the first to spectroscopically observe the element later named holmium, which they identified simply as an "earth X" derived from "erbia". Independently,

Per Teodor Cleve Per Teodor Cleve (10 February 1840 – 18 June 1905) was a Swedish chemist, biologist, mineralogist and oceanographer. He is best known for his discovery of the chemical elements holmium and thulium. Born in Stockholm in 1840, Cleve earned his B ...

separated it chemically from thulium and

erbium Erbium is a chemical element with the symbol Er and atomic number 68. A silvery-white solid metal when artificially isolated, natural erbium is always found in chemical combination with other elements. It is a lanthanide, a rare-earth element ...

in 1879. All three researchers are given credit for the element's discovery. The

Soret peak In spectroscopy, a Soret peak or Soret band is an intense peak in the blue wavelength region of the visible spectrum. The peak is named after its discoverer, Jacques-Louis Soret. The term is commonly used in absorption spectroscopy, corresponding ...

or Soret band, a strong absorption band at approximately 420 nm in the absorption spectra of

hemoglobin Hemoglobin (haemoglobin BrE) (from the Greek word αἷμα, ''haîma'' 'blood' + Latin ''globus'' 'ball, sphere' + ''-in'') (), abbreviated Hb or Hgb, is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein present in red blood cells (erythrocyte ...

, is also named after him. Jacques-Louis Soret died in Geneva on 13 May 1890. His son was

Charles Soret Charles Soret (born 23 September 1854, Geneva, Switzerland; died 4 April 1904) was a Swiss physicist and chemist. He is known for his work on thermodiffusion (the so-called ''Soret effect''). Life Charles Soret was the son of Jacques-Louis Soret, ...

, a recognized physicist and chemist in his own right.

References

Swiss chemists 1827 births 1890 deaths Discoverers of chemical elements Rare earth scientists {{chemist-stub