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
Peter Briggs (scientist) Peter Briggs (scientist) (Michael) Peter Briggs OBE (born 3 December 1944) was Master of the Company of Educators in the City of London in 2011/2012. He was appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2010 New Year Honours, shortly after his retirement from Roehampton University. At Roehampton, he was both Principal of Southlands College and a Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University. Prior to taking up his role at Roehampton, Briggs had been Chief Executive of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (the BA), which was subsequently rebranded the British Science Association in 2009.