Johanngeorgestadt, Germany/johanng250
Previous | Home | NextThese are photographs of the original minerals and labels of Klaproth's torbernite, presently stored in the Natural History Museum in Berlin, and which can be seen in the Berlin portion of "Rediscovery" {LINK: Berlin Natural History Museum}. The handwritten label is in Klaproth's own handwriting. Torbernite is a copper uranyl phosphate, which Klaproth called "Grüner Uranglimmer" ("green uranium mica"). In the literature there is confusion about the exact nature of the mineral from which Klaproth discovered uranium. The confusion is apparent in this display, because the mineral is incorrectly identified as "Pechblende" (pitchblende, uranium oxide). Pitchblende is commonly reported the original source of discovery of uranium. It is true that Klaproth performed his bulk studies on pitchblende, but it is clear from his records that he discovered the mineral from the green mineral torbernite. Torbernite was also the source of uranium for the first uranium coin {LINK to Hannover320}.
