AMEDEO AVOGARO

AMEDEO
AVOGADRO
(1776 - 1856 )
Amedeo Avogadro was an Italian scientist born in the Kingdom of Sardinia ad Piedmont, most noted for his contributions to the theory of molarity and molecular weight. He was born on August 9, 1776. The number of molecules in one mole is called Avogadro’s number is honor of him, as is Avogadro’s law.

Avogadro’s law implies that the relationship occurring between the weights of same volumes of different gases (at the same temperature and pressure) corresponds to the relationship between respective molecular weights. Hence, relative molecular masses can be calculated from the masses of gas samples.

Avogadro developed this hypothesis after Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac had published in 1808 his law on volumes (and combining gases). The greatest difficulty Avogadro had to resolve was the huge confusion at theat time regarding atoms and molecules ? one of most important contributions of Avogadro’s work was clearly distinguishing one from the other, admitting that simple particules too could be composed of molecules, and that these are composed of atoms.

In 1820 he became a professor of Turin’s university. With suspicious enthusiasm, he took part in political revolutionary movements of 1821 (against the king of Sardinia), so two years later he was removed from his position (or as it was officially declared, the university was very glad to allow this interesting scientist to take a rest from heavy teaching duties, in order to be able to give a better attention to his researches). Well before this, following the increasing attention to lus works, Avogadro had been recalled at Turin university in 1833, where he taught for another twenty years.

In honor of Avogadro’s contributions to the theory of molarity and molecular weights, the numbr of molecules in one mole was renamed Avogadro’s number.

But his own time, Avogadro’s principle was seriously neglected. Historians of science have several theories as to why this should be so, as Avogadro was a respected scientist during his life. But the real reason is probably more prosaic. In the clannish world of scientific discovery, it pays to be at the center of the action. Avogadro was by this time a professor, and chairman, of physical chemistry at the University of Turin. But in Italy far away from the major science centers of England, Germany, France or even Sweden. He never got to rub shoulders with the “great ones” of his day, so his ideas did not receive the credit they deserved.

He was a professor until his retirement at the age of 74. He died on July 9th, 1856.