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New Minerals from Cornwall, or how Pisani upset Maskelyne
Last Updated: 28th Aug 2011
Here's an interesting little tale I spotted in the Letters section of the magazine Chemical News, from 1864.
Mervyn Herbert Nevil Story Maskelyne (1823–1911) was Keeper of Minerals at the British Museum from 1857 to 1880. Once the Museum moved into its new premises in South Kensington in 1883, the Mineralogy department finally had their own laboratory. Maskelynite, a feldspar glass found in meteorites, is named for him.
Félix Pisani
Félix Pisani (1831-1920), was a chemist and mineral dealer, and one of the founders of the Mineralogical Society of France. As director of a private chemistry school in Paris, he had his own analytical laboratory and worked on many new mineral species. The mineral pisanite was named for him, but subsequently discredited as simply a copper-bearing variety of melanterite.
Waringtonite, which Maskelyne had named for W. Warington Smyth, turned out to be simply Brochantite - a mineral originally described by Lévy in 1824.
Brochantite from Craddock Moor mine, Cornwall. Richard De Nul photo. FOV 2mm
Lyellite, however, was a new mineral, and both Maskelyne and Pisani had their own names for it. Pisani described it three months later in the French journal 'Comptes Rendus' calling it Devilline after the French Chemist Deville, and that is the name that has now stuck.
Back to the Chemical News, one year later in 1865, and the debate is still going strong... A report on a presentation by Professor A.H.Church contains the following
The current formula for Devilline isCaCu^4(SO^4)^2(OH)^6.3H^2O - identical other than formatting to the one given by Church in 1865 - and without Iron.
Devilline from Basset Mines, Cornwall. FOV 3mm, Steve Rust photo
But, it seems that Maskelyne simply wasn't fast enough. From the Proceedings of the Cornwall Geological Society that year.
Some time ago, Professor Maskelyne, of the British Museum, discovered, associated with the Arseniates of Copper of Cornwall, two new minerals; and they have been named Langite and Warringtonite[sic]. Both these minerals are basic sulphates of copper, and are allied in composition to Brochantite.
Not long after the discovery of the latter minerals, Professor Maskelyne noticed another mineral on the Langite, which he named Lyellite. M. Pisani, a French chemist, was, however, the first to make known its chemical composition and characters; and he has called it Devilline, in honour of Deville, the distinguished French chemist. Its composition is, according to M. Pisani, the following: CuO, CaO, FeO, 3SO3 + 3 Aq · , — a sulphate of Copper, Iron, and Lime. According to Professor Church, the Oxide of Iron is an accidental impurity, and does not enter into the chemical composition of this mineral.
Finally, the London Review didn't think much of Maskelyne's complaints.
And that is why we now have devilline as the accepted name.
To the Editor of the Chemical News.
Sir, —Would you kindly insert a note in your next number to state that I some time ago discovered two new minerals associated with Langite? One is a green mineral, which I call Waringtonite, the other a whitish-blue one, which I have named Lyellite.
As M. Pisani, in Paris, appears to think it not unfair to attempt to forestall me in my descriptions of this Cornish group of minerals, I am obliged to ask you this favour.
I exhibited Waringtonite and Lyellite at the Geological Society in July. But no opportunity of naming them or describing them was then afforded me, though their analysis was made in June: and, in truth, I had never dreamt that any gentleman in England or abroad would have refused to me the courtesy generally paid to every man of science in announcing a discovery — that, namely, of leaving to him the description of what he has discovered.
My having no laboratory in the British Museum compelled me to go elsewhere to make the analyses, the publication of which has been delayed that I might confirm two or three determinations about the exact precision of which I felt uncertain. An absence in Russia on public business for two months, and a consequent pressure of other duties, compelled me to postpone this, and has caused the delay in my publishing what I never had any fear of being forestalled in.
My investigation of these minerals, crystallographically and chemically, will be immediately submitted to the Royal Society. I am, &c.
Nevil Story Maskelyne.
Sir, —Would you kindly insert a note in your next number to state that I some time ago discovered two new minerals associated with Langite? One is a green mineral, which I call Waringtonite, the other a whitish-blue one, which I have named Lyellite.
As M. Pisani, in Paris, appears to think it not unfair to attempt to forestall me in my descriptions of this Cornish group of minerals, I am obliged to ask you this favour.
I exhibited Waringtonite and Lyellite at the Geological Society in July. But no opportunity of naming them or describing them was then afforded me, though their analysis was made in June: and, in truth, I had never dreamt that any gentleman in England or abroad would have refused to me the courtesy generally paid to every man of science in announcing a discovery — that, namely, of leaving to him the description of what he has discovered.
My having no laboratory in the British Museum compelled me to go elsewhere to make the analyses, the publication of which has been delayed that I might confirm two or three determinations about the exact precision of which I felt uncertain. An absence in Russia on public business for two months, and a consequent pressure of other duties, compelled me to postpone this, and has caused the delay in my publishing what I never had any fear of being forestalled in.
My investigation of these minerals, crystallographically and chemically, will be immediately submitted to the Royal Society. I am, &c.
Nevil Story Maskelyne.
Mervyn Herbert Nevil Story Maskelyne (1823–1911) was Keeper of Minerals at the British Museum from 1857 to 1880. Once the Museum moved into its new premises in South Kensington in 1883, the Mineralogy department finally had their own laboratory. Maskelynite, a feldspar glass found in meteorites, is named for him.
Félix Pisani
Félix Pisani (1831-1920), was a chemist and mineral dealer, and one of the founders of the Mineralogical Society of France. As director of a private chemistry school in Paris, he had his own analytical laboratory and worked on many new mineral species. The mineral pisanite was named for him, but subsequently discredited as simply a copper-bearing variety of melanterite.
Waringtonite, which Maskelyne had named for W. Warington Smyth, turned out to be simply Brochantite - a mineral originally described by Lévy in 1824.
Brochantite from Craddock Moor mine, Cornwall. Richard De Nul photo. FOV 2mm
Lyellite, however, was a new mineral, and both Maskelyne and Pisani had their own names for it. Pisani described it three months later in the French journal 'Comptes Rendus' calling it Devilline after the French Chemist Deville, and that is the name that has now stuck.
Back to the Chemical News, one year later in 1865, and the debate is still going strong... A report on a presentation by Professor A.H.Church contains the following
The author made some statements with regard to "The Hydrated Cupric Oxy-sulphates from Cornwall" and challenged the accuracy of an analysis lately made by M. Pisani, who appears to have re-named the mineral discovered by Prof. Maskelyne, calling it now "Devilline," and attributing to it the mineralogical formula —
(CuCaFe),S+3aq.
The chief point at issue seems to be the question whether iron is a legitimate constituent of the mineral. Prof. Church believes that it occurs only as an impurity in the form of ferric oxide mechanically intermixed. The result of his analysis of the mineral "Lyellite" is stated above. [the formula given is CuSO4 CaSO4 3CuH2O2 · 3aq]
(CuCaFe),S+3aq.
The chief point at issue seems to be the question whether iron is a legitimate constituent of the mineral. Prof. Church believes that it occurs only as an impurity in the form of ferric oxide mechanically intermixed. The result of his analysis of the mineral "Lyellite" is stated above. [the formula given is CuSO4 CaSO4 3CuH2O2 · 3aq]
The current formula for Devilline is
Devilline from Basset Mines, Cornwall. FOV 3mm, Steve Rust photo
But, it seems that Maskelyne simply wasn't fast enough. From the Proceedings of the Cornwall Geological Society that year.
Some time ago, Professor Maskelyne, of the British Museum, discovered, associated with the Arseniates of Copper of Cornwall, two new minerals; and they have been named Langite and Warringtonite[sic]. Both these minerals are basic sulphates of copper, and are allied in composition to Brochantite.
Not long after the discovery of the latter minerals, Professor Maskelyne noticed another mineral on the Langite, which he named Lyellite. M. Pisani, a French chemist, was, however, the first to make known its chemical composition and characters; and he has called it Devilline, in honour of Deville, the distinguished French chemist. Its composition is, according to M. Pisani, the following: CuO, CaO, FeO, 3SO3 + 3 Aq · , — a sulphate of Copper, Iron, and Lime. According to Professor Church, the Oxide of Iron is an accidental impurity, and does not enter into the chemical composition of this mineral.
Finally, the London Review didn't think much of Maskelyne's complaints.
In the last number of the Comptes Rendus, M. Pisani describes a new species of mineral, to which he gives the name of Devilline. The specimens analysed were, we believe, brought from Cornwall, where they ware originally discovered by Mr. Maskelyne, of the British Museum. The latter mineralogist complains, in a letter to the Chemical News of Saturday last, that the course which M. Pisani has taken in describing minerals originally discovered by him, is a breach of the etiquette usually observed among scientific men in such cases. He observes that his reason for not publishing the analysis himself was, that having no laboratory in the British Museum, he was compelled to go elsewhere to make the analyses, the publication of which was delayed in order that two or three determinations might be made with greater precision. An absence in Russia on public business, and a consequent pressure of other duties, compelled him to postpone this, and caused his delay in publishing what he never had any fear of being forestalled in. We cannot think that M. Pisani is so very much to blame, and doubtless practical scientific men would say that when delay is unavoidable upon the part of a discoverer, some one else should be found to undertake the matter.
And that is why we now have devilline as the accepted name.
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Van King
29th Aug 2011 3:21pm