Klaproth, Martin Heinrich
Klaproth, Martin Heinrich (1743-1817), a German chemist. He discovered the elements uranium, zirconium, and cerium, but was unable to obtain any of them in the pure state. In his youth Klaproth was apprenticed to a druggist. From 1787 to 1810 he was a lecturer in chemistry for the Prussian Royal Artillery. In 1810 he became the first professor of chemistry at the University of Berlin.