Who first discovered oxygen?

When was oxygen discovered?

C. W. Scheele

Swedish apothecary

Earliest of the claimants to prepare a relatively pure

sample of gas

Joseph priestly

British scientist

collected the gas released by heated red oxide of

mercury.

claim to the discovery of oxygen is based upon his

priority in isolating a gas that was later recognized as a
distinct species.

1774: identified the gas produced as nitrous oxide

1775: dephlogisticated air- still not oxygen

Lavoisier
Led him to oxygen after Priestleys experiments.
1777: he concluded that the gas was a distinct
species.
*Discovering a new sort of phenomenon involves
recognizing that something is and what is it.

Roentgen

He noticed that a barium platinocyanide screen

at some distance from his shielded apparatus
glowed when being discharged.
The cause of the glow comes in straight lines
from the cathode ray tubes.

* At what point in Roentgens investigation can

we say that X- rays had been discovered?

 The perception of anomaly played an essential

role in preparing the way for perception of
novelty.

X- rays opened up a new field and thus added to

the potential domain of normal science.
The decision to employ a particular piece of
apparatus and to use it in a particular way carries
an assumption that only certain sorts of
circumstances will arise.

* Discoveries predicted by theory in advance are parts

of normal science and result in no new sort of fact.

* During the paradigm-change period, scientists usually

develop many speculative and unarticulated theories
that can themselves point the way to discovery.

 Electricity was said to be a fluid.

It led to an attempt of bottling the fluid by
holding a water- filled glass vial and
touching the water to a conductor
suspended from an active electrostatic
generator.
Investigators experienced severe shocks.

Leyden jar - to store electrical fluid.

 Characteristics of the Discoveries from

which new sorts of phenomena emerge:
The previous awareness of anomaly.
The gradual and simultaneous
emergence of both observational and
conceptual recognition.

The consequent change of paradigm

categories and procedures often
accompanied by resistance.

 Anomaly appears only against the background

provided by the paradigm.
The more precise and far-reaching the
paradigm, the more sensitive it is to detecting
an anomaly and inducing change.
By resisting change, a paradigm guarantees
that anomalies that lead to paradigm change
will penetrate existing knowledge to the core.