Antoine jerome ballard biography of martin

French chemist

Antoine Jérôme Balard (French pronunciation:[ɑ̃twanʒeʁombalaʁ]; 30 September 1802 – 30 April 1876) was a French chemist and one of the discoverers of bromine.

Career

Born at Montpellier, France, on 30 September 1802, he started as an apothecary, but taking up teaching he acted as chemical assistant at the faculty of sciences of his native town, and then became professor of chemistry at the royal college and school of pharmacy and at the faculty of sciences.

In 1826 he discovered in seawater a substance which he recognized as a previously unknown element and named it bromine. It had been independently prepared by Carl Jacob Löwig the previous year and the two are both regarded as having discovered the element.

This achievement brought him the reputation that secured his election as successor to Louis Jacques Thénard in the chair of chemistry at the faculty of sciences in Paris, and in 1851 he was appointed professor of chemist