science · 23 January 1796 · 228 years ago
birth
Born 23 Jan 1796; died 24 Mar 1864 at age 68.
Russian chemist and biologist who was born and died in Russia, but was of German origin, so is also known as Carl Ernst Claus. He discovered ruthenium (1844), which was the last dense, inert, platinum-like metal to be found. He earned degrees in chemistry, then a Ph.D. in pharmacy, but Klaus gained an international reputation for his researches on the platinum metals (osmium, palladium, iridium, and rhodium). His discovery of ruthenium resulted from an analysis of the waste residues of the platinum refinery in St. Petersburg. He named the element from Ruthenia, the Latin name for Russia. Klaus also investigated flora and fauna of Volga steppes.
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