# Carl Wilhelm Scheele

> Swedish German chemist who discovered oxygen

**Wikidata**: [Q70538](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q70538)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carl_Wilhelm_Scheele)  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/carl-wilhelm-scheele

## Summary

Carl Wilhelm Scheele was a pioneering Swedish-German chemist and pharmacist who discovered oxygen independently in 1772, two years before Joseph Priestley's widely celebrated discovery. Working primarily in Sweden, Scheele made numerous significant chemical discoveries including chlorine, manganese, and tungstic acid, laying foundational work in modern chemistry despite his humble beginnings as a pharmacy apprentice. His legacy extends through the Scheele Award, established in Sweden in 1961 to honor excellence in pharmacy, and through scientific nomenclature including the mineral scheelite and a lunar crater bearing his name.

## Biography

- **Born**: 1742 (Stralsund, Swedish Pomerania; present-day Germany)
- **Nationality**: Swedish-German
- **Education**: Pharmacy apprenticeship; informal chemical training
- **Known for**: Discovering oxygen (independently, 1772); discovering chlorine, manganese, tungstic acid, and numerous other chemical compounds
- **Employer(s)**: Various pharmacies in Sweden, including apothecary shops in Uppsala and Köping
- **Field(s)**: Chemistry, Pharmacy, Pharmacolog

## Contributions

Carl Wilhelm Scheele's contributions to chemistry were extensive and foundational:

- **Discovery of Oxygen (1772)**: Independently discovered oxygen two years before Joseph Priestley's commonly cited 1774 discovery. Scheele called the gas "fire air" (feuerluft) and documented its properties in his manuscripts.

- **Discovery of Chlorine (1774)**: First to produce chlorine gas by reacting hydrochloric acid with manganese dioxide, though he did not recognize it as an element.

- **Discovery of Manganese (1774)**: Identified the new element manganese through the reduction of manganese dioxide.

- **Discovery of Tungstic Acid (1781)**: First to isolate tungstic acid from the mineral scheelite, leading to the discovery of the element tungsten.

- **Other Discoveries**: Also discovered hydrogen sulfide, arsenic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, and numerous other compounds.

- **Scheelite**: The tungstate mineral named in his honor, recognizing his discovery of tungsten.

- **Cupric Arsenite**: Studied this yellowish-green pigment, which later became known as Scheele's Green.

- **Pharmaceutical Work**: Worked as an apothecary throughout his career, contributing to pharmaceutical chemistry and methodology.

## FAQs

**What is Carl Wilhelm Scheele best known for?**
Carl Wilhelm Scheele is best known for independently discovering oxygen in 1772, two years before Joseph Priestley's more famous discovery. He also discovered several other chemical elements including chlorine, manganese, and tungsten.

**Where did Carl Wilhelm Scheele work?**
Scheele worked primarily as a pharmacist and chemist in Sweden, operating apothecary shops in various cities including Uppsala and Köping. He was affiliated with Uppsala University and received membership in the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

**What elements did Carl Wilhelm Scheele discover?**
Scheele discovered oxygen, chlorine, manganese, and tungsten (via tungstic acid). He also identified numerous chemical compounds including hydrogen sulfide, citric acid, and lactic acid.

**How is Carl Wilhelm Scheele remembered today?**
Scheele is remembered through several tributes: the Scheele Award (established 1961 in Sweden for pharmacy), the mineral scheelite named after him, a lunar crater (Scheele), and asteroid 12356 Carlscheele.

**What was Carl Wilhelm Scheele's nationality?**
Carl Wilhelm Scheele was Swedish-German, born in Stralsund (Swedish Pomerania, present-day Germany) but working primarily in Sweden throughout his career.

## Why They Matter

Carl Wilhelm Scheele matters because his discoveries laid critical groundwork for modern chemistry despite his lack of formal university position or access to elite laboratory facilities. His independent discovery of oxygen, though historically overshadowed by Priestley, represents one of the most important chemical breakthroughs in history. Scheele's methodical approach to experimentation and his numerous discoveries—chlorine, manganese, tungsten, and dozens of compounds—advanced the understanding of chemical elements and reactions.

His work influenced the development of pharmaceutical chemistry and the professionalization of pharmacy in Sweden. The Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences recognized his contributions by electing him as a member, and his legacy continues through the Scheele Award, which honors outstanding achievements in pharmacy annually. Without Scheele's foundational work, the subsequent development of chemical theory and industrial chemistry would have been significantly delayed. His discoveries of tungsten and other elements proved crucial for later technological applications, from steel production to electronics.

## Notable For

- First to discover oxygen (independently, 1772), two years before Joseph Priestley
- Discovered chlorine, manganese, and tungsten (via tungstic acid)
- Elected member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences (inception: 1739)
- Member of the Academy of Science for Public Utility (inception: 1754)
- Member of the Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL (Italy's national academy, inception: 1782)
- Member of the Academy of Sciences of Turin (inception: 1757/1783)
- The mineral scheelite (tungstate) named in his honor
- Lunar crater "Scheele" named for him
- Asteroid 12356 Carlscheele bears his name
- Scheele Award established in Sweden (1961) to honor pharmacy excellence
- Cupric arsenite pigment (Scheele's Green) bears his name in common usage

## Body

### Early Life and Background

Carl Wilhelm Scheele was born in 1742 in Stralsund, which was then Swedish Pomerania and is now located in present-day Germany. This gave him the unique status of being Swedish-German—born on German soil but working primarily within the Swedish scientific and professional establishment. His nationality is recorded as Swedish-German in biographical sources, reflecting both his place of birth and his career trajectory.

### Education and Professional Training

Scheele received his chemical training through a pharmacy apprenticeship rather than formal university education. This path was common for chemists of his era, particularly those who would contribute to pharmaceutical chemistry. He worked in various apothecary shops throughout his career, which provided him with practical laboratory experience and access to chemical reagents and equipment. Despite his lack of formal academic credentials, his dedication to systematic experimentation and careful observation allowed him to make discoveries that would have significant impact on the field of chemistry.

### Career and Affiliations

Throughout his career, Scheele was associated with pharmacies in Sweden, notably in Uppsala and Köping. His connection to Uppsala University is particularly significant, as this institution (inception: 1477) provided the intellectual environment that supported his scientific work. Scheele's contributions were recognized by Sweden's scientific establishment through his election to the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, the nation's premier scientific body founded in 1739.

His scientific reputation extended beyond Sweden. Scheele was elected to several international academies, including the Academy of Science for Public Utility (founded 1754), the Accademia Nazionale delle Scienze detta dei XL (Italy's national academy, founded 1782), and the Academy of Sciences of Turin (founded 1757, reorganized 1783). These memberships reflect the high regard in which his chemical discoveries were held across Europe.

### Major Discoveries

Scheele's discovery of oxygen in 1772 stands as his most famous contribution. He produced the gas by heating various substances including mercury oxide, nitrates, and carbonates. He correctly identified its role in combustion and respiration, calling it "fire air" (feuerluft). Unfortunately, his results were not published until 1777, by which time Joseph Priestley had already announced his own discovery of oxygen in 1774. This timing meant that Priestley received historical credit for the discovery, though modern historians recognize Scheele's independent and prior discovery.

In 1774, Scheele discovered chlorine gas by reacting hydrochloric acid with manganese dioxide. However, he did not recognize chlorine as an element, instead describing it as containing oxygen. Sir Humphry Davy later identified chlorine as an element in 1810. That same year, Scheele discovered manganese by reducing manganese dioxide with carbon.

Scheele's discovery of tungstic acid in 1781 led to the identification of tungsten. He produced the acid by treating the mineral scheelite (named in his honor) with acids. The element tungsten was later isolated by the Spanish chemists Juan José and Fausto Elhuyar in 1783.

Beyond these major element discoveries, Scheele identified numerous chemical compounds including hydrogen sulfide, arsenic acid, citric acid, lactic acid, and many others. His work on cupric arsenite produced the pigment known as Scheele's Green, an arsenic-based green pigment that was widely used in the 19th century before being replaced by less toxic alternatives.

### Legacy and Honors

Scheele's legacy extends through multiple commemorations. The Scheele Award, established in Sweden in 1961, honors outstanding achievements in pharmacy and carries his name as a tribute to his contributions to pharmaceutical chemistry. The award is presented annually and represents the continuing importance of his work to the field.

In the sciences, his name has been immortalized through geological and astronomical nomenclature. The mineral scheelite (a tungstate mineral) bears his name, as does the lunar crater Scheele on the Moon's surface. Asteroid 12356 Carlscheele, discovered in 1993, also carries his name, ensuring his recognition in astronomical cataloging.

### Influence on Chemistry and Pharmacy

Scheele's methodical approach to chemical experimentation influenced the development of modern chemical methodology. His work demonstrated the importance of systematic observation and careful documentation in scientific discovery. Though he worked without the benefit of formal academic positions or elite laboratory resources, his discoveries proved foundational for subsequent developments in inorganic chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, and industrial chemistry.

His discoveries of chlorine, manganese, and tungsten proved particularly important for industrial applications. Tungsten, for instance, became crucial for steel production, lighting filaments, and numerous other technological applications. The chemical industry that developed in the 19th and 20th centuries built upon the fundamental understanding of elements and compounds that Scheele and his contemporaries established.

### Historical Recognition

Despite his significant contributions, Scheele's name is less widely recognized than those of some contemporaries, partly due to the delayed publication of his findings and the historical circumstances surrounding the discovery of oxygen. However, within the history of chemistry and pharmacy, he is recognized as one of the most productive and important chemists of the 18th century. His election to multiple national academies during his lifetime and the numerous honors bestowed upon him posthumously reflect the high estimation in which his work was held by his contemporaries and subsequent generations of scientists.

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