Richard Kirwan

See also: Kirwan

Richard Kirwan (1733 June 1st 1812) is a scientist Irish.

Kirwan was born in Cloughballymore in the Comté from Galway. It passes part of its youth abroad. In 1754 it begins its noviciate Jésuite with Saint-Omer or Hesdin but turns over to Ireland the following year when he becomes household head after the death of his brother in a duel. In 1776, after being itself formed two years earlier with the religion established, it is called at the bar of Ireland. It gives up this position in 1768 in favor of the scientific research. During the 19 following years he lives mainly with London, seeking the company of scientists. He also corresponds with many scientists on the continent of Europe, his knowledge of several languages facilitating the contact to him. Its experiments on the specific Revolved and the attraction force of various substances saltworks contributed substantially to the methods of the analytical Chimie. This work is rewarded by the Royal Society which decrees the to him Médaille Copley in 1782 then accommodates it among its members in 1780. In 1784 it engages with Henry Cavendish in a controversy in connection with the experiments of this last on the air.

In 1787 it moves with Dublin or 4 years later he becomes president of the young whole royal academy of Ireland. He contributes to 38 memories published by this learned society, treating Météorologie, of Chimie theoretical and applied, of Géologie, Magnétisme and Philologie. One of these memories on the primitive state of the sphere and its evolution involves it in an argument with holding of the theories of James Hutton. Its work in geology is undermined by its implicit belief of a universal flood Fossil S associated with the trap rock'n'rolls near Portrush He maintained Basalt was off aqueous origin -->.

It is one of the last supporters in England of the assumption of the Phlogistique, on which it writes to Essay one off Phlogiston and the Constitution Acids -- Test on Phlogistique and the constitution of the acids in 1787, identifying the phlogistique one with the Hydrogen. This test, represented by Mrs Lavoisier, will be published in French added with critical notes of Lavoisier and some of its associates. Kirwan tries to refute their arguments but ended up converting with the novel ideas.

Its other books included Elements off Mineralogy (1784), which is the first systematic work on this English subject and who remains a long time a standard; Year Estimate off the Temperature off Different Latitudes (1787); Essay off the Analysis off Mineral Toilets (1799), and Geological Essays (1799). In its last years it turns to philosophical questions, writes a paper on human freedom, a treaty on the Logique in 1807 and a volume of test metaphysics in 1811. He dies in Dublin in 1807.

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