Carl Scheele
1742–1786 · Swedish · Enlightenment
Known for: Discovered oxygen, chlorine, and numerous compounds—but published too late for credit
Carl Scheele was one of history's most prolific but unluckiest chemists. He discovered oxygen before Priestley and Lavoisier but his publisher delayed his book for three years. He discovered chlorine, glycerin, citric acid, and many other substances.
He was a pharmacist who died at 43, likely from his habit of tasting the chemicals he discovered—including hydrogen cyanide and arsenic.
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