Marsilio Landriani
Marsilio Landriani | |
|---|---|
 Stipple engraving by G. Rados, junior | |
| Born | 1 October 1751 |
| Died | 13 March 1815 (aged 63) |
| Nationality | Italian |
| Occupations |
|
| Known for | Invention of the eudiometer |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
Marsilio Landriani (1 October 1751 – 13 March 1815) was an Italian chemist, physicist and meteorologist. Landriani is best known as the inventor of the eudiometer. He endorsed the advantages of the lightning rod and helped to popularise Franklin’s scientic reputation in Italy.
Biography
He became known with his first book, Ricerche fisiche intorno alla salubrità dell'aria (Physical investigations on the salubrity of air), published in 1775.[1] In it he described a new instrument, the eudiometer, which was later improved by Volta with the addition of spark wires.[2][3] In 1781 he published his second book, Opuscoli fisico-chimici (Physical-chemical pamphlets), which contributed to opening a new way to the theory of acidity.
Landriani's treatise Dell'utilità dei conduttori elettrici (1784) focused on the practical application of lightning conductors, particularly in the context of building construction and the increasing use of metals. Landriani explored how conductors could protect structures from lightning strikes, drawing on experiments and observations to support his conclusions.
Between 1787 and 1788 Guyton de Morveau and Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier tried to convince Landriani to change over to the new chemistry, but he never was able to decide between phlogiston and oxygen. After 1790 he dealt exclusively with chemical applications of electric phenomena, and the improvement of scientific instruments used to study meteorology and physics. During his career he enjoyed a popularity comparable only to that of Alessandro Volta and Lazzaro Spallanzani, of all Italian scientists of that time.
References
- ^ "Marsilio Landriani". Museo Galileo. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ^ Sella, Andrea (30 January 2015). "Landriani's eudiometer". Chemistry World. Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 3 February 2015.
- ^ Pancaldi, Giuliano (2003). Volta, Science and Culture in the Age of Enlightenment. Princeton Univ. Press. ISBN 978-0-691-12226-7.
External links
- Belloni, Luigi (1973). "Landriani, Marsilio". In Charles Coulston Gillispie (ed.). Dictionary of Scientific Biography. Vol. VII. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons. pp. 620–621. Retrieved 23 June 2025.
- Roda, Marica (2004). "LANDRIANI, Marsilio". Dizionario Biografico degli Italiani, Volume 63: Labroca–Laterza (in Italian). Rome: Istituto dell'Enciclopedia Italiana. ISBN 978-88-12-00032-6.