chemistry

John Frederic Daniell

John Frederic Daniell is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand John Frederic Daniell rather than just read about it. In short: John Frederic Daniell (12 March 1790 – 13 March 1845) was an English chemist and physicist. Biography Daniell was born in London.

Key takeaways

John Frederic Daniell belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect John Frederic Daniell to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of John Frederic Daniell from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

John Frederic Daniell (12 March 1790 – 13 March 1845) was an English chemist and physicist.

Biography Daniell was born in London. In 1831 he became the first professor of chemistry at the newly founded King's College London; and in 1835 he was appointed to the equivalent post at the East India Company's Military Seminary at Addiscombe, Surrey. His name is best known for his invention of the Daniell cell, an element of an electric battery much better than voltaic cells. He also invented the dew-point hygrometer known by his name, and a register pyrometer; and in 1830 he erected in the hall of the Royal Society a water-barometer, with which he carried out a large number of observations. A process devised by him for the manufacture of illuminating gas from turpentine and resin was in use in New York City for a time. In 1842 he was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Civil Law by the University of Oxford.

Publications Daniell's publications included Meteorological Essays (1823), an Essay on Artificial Climate considered in its Applications to Horticulture (1824), which showed the necessity of a humid atmosphere in hothouses devoted to tropical plants, and an Introduction to the Study of Chemical Philosophy (1839).

Lectures In 1840 he was invited to deliver the Royal Institution Christmas Lecture on The First Principles of Franklinic Electricity.

Death and commemoration Daniell died suddenly of apoplexy in London in March 1845, while attending a meeting of the council of the Royal Society, of which he had become a fellow in 1813 and Foreign Secretary in 1839. The lunar crater Daniell is named after him.

See also Timeline of hydrogen technologies

References

Bibliography Stephen, Leslie, ed. (1888). "Daniell, John Frederic" . Dictionary of National Biography. Vol. 14. London: Smith, Elder & Co. p. 33. This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Daniell, John Frederic". Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 7 (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. p. 809.

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with John Frederic Daniell

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what John Frederic Daniell claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to John Frederic Daniell before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about John Frederic Daniell ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of John Frederic Daniell

In research: John Frederic Daniell appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses John Frederic Daniell in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: John Frederic Daniell is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1790 births, 1845 deaths, 19th-century English chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for John Frederic Daniell outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study John Frederic Daniell in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what John Frederic Daniell means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain John Frederic Daniell out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is John Frederic Daniell in simple terms?

John Frederic Daniell (12 March 1790 – 13 March 1845) was an English chemist and physicist. Biography Daniell was born in London.

Why does John Frederic Daniell matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study John Frederic Daniell?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on John Frederic Daniell.