Georges-Simon Serullas
{{Short description|French pharmacist (1774–1832)}}
File:Georges Simon Serullas. Reproduction of lithograph by Palley Wellcome V0005385.jpg
Georges-Simon Serullas (2 November 1774 in Poncin – 25 May 1832 in Paris) was a French pharmacist. He was a professor of pharmacy notable for being the first to publish a work on Iodoform, an early antiseptic and disinfectant.
Biography
He was a professor and head pharmacist at the hospital of Val-de-Grâce; professor of chemistry at the Jardin des Plantes (the chief botanical garden in France), and member of the French Academy of Sciences (elected December 28, 1829 - Chemistry section).
He was one of the first researchers to draw attention to the haloform reaction. In 1822, Serullas added potassium metal to a solution of iodine in ethanol and water to form potassium formate and iodoform, called in the language of that time hydroiodide of carbon,Georges-Simon Surellas, [http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k6137757n/f2.image Notes sur l'Hydriodate de potasse et l'Acide hydriodique. – Hydriodure de carbone; moyen d'obtenir, à l'instant, ce composé triple] [Notes on the hydroiodide of potassium and on hydroiodic acid – hydroiodide of carbon; means of obtaining instantly this compound of three elements] (Metz, France: Antoine, 1822). On pages 17–20, Surellas produced iodoform by passing a mixture of iodine vapor and steam over red-hot coals. However, later, on pages 28–29, he produced iodoform by adding potassium metal to a solution of iodine in ethanol (which also contained some water). and used as an antiseptic.
He is buried in the Père Lachaise Cemetery (10th division).{{cite book|first=Paul |last=Bauer |title=Two centuries of history in Père Lachaise, Memory and Documents |date=2006|ISBN=978-2914611480 |page=719}}
Publications
- Observations physico-chimiques sur les alliages du potassium et du sodium avec d’autrs métaux ; propriétés nouvelles de ces alliages servant à expliquer le phénomène de l’inflammation spontanée du pyrophore et la cause des mouvemens du camphre sur l’eau. Antimoine arsenical dans le commerce. Metz, Antoine, September 1820.
- Second mémoire sur les alliages du potassium et sur l’existence de l’arsenic dans les préparations antimoniales usitées en médecine. Metz, Antoine, May 1821.
References
{{Reflist}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serullas, Georges-Simon}}