Ste Claire Deville

Ste.-Claire Deville, HENRI ETIENNE (1818-81), chemist, was born in the Antilles of French parents, and was educated in France. From an early period he devoted himself to patient chemical researches, and, after taking his degrees of doctor of medicine and of science, became professor of chemistry at Besancon in 1845. He was appointed examiner at the Ecole Normale of Paris in 1851, and in 1853 published a new system of mineral analysis. He was especially notable in mineml chemistry. He discovered the properties of composite nitric acid, and simplified the extraction of aluminium. He optained the Legion of Honour in 1855.