Acetylene of 180°. Acetylene was discovered in 1836 by Edmund Davy, who identified it as a "new carburet of hydrogen". It was rediscovered in 1860 by French chemist Marcellin Berthelot, who coined the name "acétylène". Berthelot's empirical formula for acetylene (CH), as well as the alternative name "quadricarbure d'hydrogène" ("hydrogen quadricarbide"), were incorrect because chemists at that time used the wrong atomic mass for carbon (6 instead of 12). Berthelot was able to prepare this gas by passing vapours of organic compounds (methanol, ethanol, etc.) through a red-hot tube and collecting the effluent. He also found that acetylene was formed by
George Fisher (scientist) a son. That year he also accepted the Headmastership of the Royal Hospital School at Greenwich where he supervised the planning and construction of an observatory, which continued under his guidance for 13 years. He retired in 1863 and died in Rugby, Warwickshire in 1873. George Fisher (scientist) The Reverend George Fisher FRS FRAS (31 July 1794 – 14 March 1873) was a British Arctic scientist. He was born in Sunbury, Middlesex, England, the son of surveyor James Fisher and his wife Henrietta. In 1808 he became a clerk in the Westminster Fire Insurance Company, at the age of 14.