Daniel Rutherford

            
             Daniel Rutherford was born in 1749 and died in 1819. He was educated at the University of Edinburgh where he was given the honors of being appointed Regius Chair of Botany, and keeper of the Botanic Gardens in 1786. But, his most important achievement was when he was credited for the discovery of Nitrogen. He discovered this as a student working along side of Joseph Black. He used a large experiment in which he placed a mouse in a small portion of air until it died. After that he burned a candle in what was left of the air until that burned out, and then he burned phosphorus in the remainder of that air until that went out. He then passed this air through a solution that had the ability to absorb carbon dioxide. Now the air would no longer support combustion, was unlivable to a mouse, and a candle would not burn in it. He reported his experiment in 1772, and worked along with Black in explaining the results of his experiment using the phlogiston theory that they both believed strongly in. They explained that when the mouse would breathe and the candle would burn that phlogiston would be given off and enter into the air. It entered along with the Carbon Dioxide that was formed. After, the carbon dioxide was removed the air was so saturated with phlogiston that it could accept no more. This explained why the candles could no longer burn. Rutherford called this "Phlogisticated air" , and it was later renamed Nitrogen. Rutherford was also known for describing oxygen or "vital air.".