Paris, France Folder C/parisC602
Previous | Home | NextThis was the second site of the École des Mines (School of Mines) (1774-1802), where chromium and beryllium were discovered by Vauquelin. The discovery of beryllium was prompted by Haüy ("the father of crystallography"), who suggested to his colleague Vauquelin that since beryl and emerald have the same crystalline form, perhaps they were in fact the same compound. Vauquelin's chemical analysis proved the hypothesis correct, and led to the discovery of beryllium in the minerals. Vauquelin also discovered chromium in a sample of crocoite (lead chromate, "red lead of Siberia") sent from Beresov, Urals mountains (LINK: to Ekaterinburg).
