Henry cavendish discovery of hydrogen

Henry Cavendish (1731-1810) was a natural philosopher and the grandson of the 2nd Duke of Devonshire.

His many achievements include the discovery of hydrogen, ascertaining that water was not an element but a compound of gases, and calculating the mass of the earth.

For centuries, evidence of Henry's remarkable genius has been preserved in the archive at Chatsworth, awaiting the time and financial resource that would enable it to be shared with researchers, academics and students across the world.

Thanks to the generous support of the American Institute of Physics, the Chatsworth House Trust charity has completed a 12-month project to catalogue Henry's papers and letters.

A total of 435 items that were previously uncatalogued have been added to the collection.

The collection consists of Henry Cavendish's scientific papers, his correspondence, his journals, his library catalogue and the "White Book": his only known notebook to survive.

His scientific papers cover descriptions