London, England/london2G-680
Previous | Home | NextThe samples are (top to bottom): "chloride of arsenic," "chloride of sulfur," "hydrochloride of carbon," "bromine - from Balard the discoverer 1826," "crystallized silicon - made by Deville," "phosphate of yttria - [in French] discovered by Dr. Fiedler in Ytterby, analyzed by J. Berzelius." The exact history of these samples is not known beyond the information given on the plaque. It is possible that the "phosphate of yttria" is the original "thorium" misidentified by Berzelius. Regarding the bromine, the meaning of "1826" is unclear: does it mean the sample is the original bromine sample of Balard, or was simply made by Balard who discovered bromine in 1826? Nobody knows.
