In 1958 Rudolf Ludwig Mössbauer, aged 29, published the results of an experiment which gave rise to the branch of spectroscopy which now bears his name.
The realisation that electromagnetic radiation interacts with matter can be traced back to 1646 when Athanasius Kircher described an 'infusion of the wood lignum nephriticum', which displayed the phenomenon we now call fluorescence. Later in the 19th century chemists discovered other chemicals with this property, including the tricyclic hydrocarbon fluorene (1867), the dye fluorescein (1871), and potassium uranyl sulphate (Henri Becquerel, 1895).
Thanks for using Education in Chemistry. You can view one Education in Chemistry article per month as a visitor.
Registration is open to all teachers and technicians at secondary schools, colleges and teacher training institutions in the UK and Ireland.
Get all this, plus much more:
Already a Teach Chemistry member? Sign in now.
Not eligible for Teach Chemistry? Sign up for a personal account instead, or you can also access all our resources with Royal Society of Chemistry membership.