Johan Gadolin
Finnish chemist
Quick Summary
Johan Gadolin was a Finnish chemist who, in 1794, isolated yttria, a new metallic oxide, from a mineral found in Ytterby, Sweden. This discovery marked the first rare earth element to be identified. Yttria was later found to be a mixture of oxides from which nine elements, including yttrium and scandium, were eventually separated over more than a century. The mineral gadolinite, a source of rare earths, was named in his honor. The element gadolinium was also named after him.123
Summary created from Britannica articles
using AI.
AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
3 Britannica Sources
Ask Britannica AI about this topic
Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.
