Who discovered nitrogen gas?

Nitrogen gas was isolated and recognized as a distinct substance in 1772 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele, who identified it as the "foul air" remaining after oxygen ("fire air") was consumed during combustion.1

At approximately the same time, the gas was also recognized by the Scottish botanist Daniel Rutherford, the British chemist Henry Cavendish, and the British scientist Joseph Priestley. While these individuals all contributed to its identification, Daniel Rutherford is credited as the first to publish his findings. The element was later named nitrogen in 1790 by the French chemist Jean-Antoine-Claude Chaptal, and it was first recognized as a chemical element by Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier.1