French chemist · 1729–1753
Claude François Geoffroy
Claude François Geoffroy showed in 1753 that bismuth is a distinct metal, finally separating it from lead and tin.
How Bismuth was found
Bismuth had been used since the 15th century, in type metal and pewter, but was widely confused with lead, tin and antimony. Geoffroy studied its reactions and showed that it behaved consistently and differently from all of them.
His paper to the French Academy of Sciences in 1753 is the basis for counting bismuth as an identified element.
Life and career
Born 1729 · Died 1753
Geoffroy came from a Paris family of apothecaries and chemists. His father, Claude Joseph Geoffroy, and uncle, Étienne François Geoffroy, were both members of the Academy of Sciences. He died young, in the year his bismuth paper was published.
Discovered in the same era
Other elements identified within ten years of 1753.