Vojtěch Šafařík (26 October 1829 – 2 July 1902) was a Czechchemist, specialising ininorganic chemistry. He is the son ofPavel Jozef Šafárik.
Šafařík was born on 26 October 1829 inÚjvidék,Vojvodina,Kingdom of Hungary (todaySerbia). His father wasPavel Jozef Šafárik, Slovakphilologist and historian. He died on 2 July 1902 inPrague,Bohemia.
InGöttingen, he was involved in the investigation of the reaction of metals withalkyl iodides and produced diethylmagnesium.[1] He also worked on the chemical composition of platinum and vanadium catalysts, and onorganometallic compounds (Grignard compounds). At theVienna Academy he published a work on physical chemistry. He also studied mineralogy.
In 1859, together with fellow chemistAntonín Bělohoubek, he participated in a detailed chemical and microscopic analysis of the authenticity of the notoriousmanuscripts of Dvůr Králové and of Zelená Hora. FindingPrussian blue (unknown until the 18th century) in the initialling of the manuscripts, which were purported to date from the 1200s, they came to the conclusion that the manuscripts were forgeries and literary hoaxes.
In 1860, Šafařík published the first introductory university textbook of chemistry in Czech (Základové chemie čili lučby). He worked to improve Czech chemical terminology, building on and improving over the nomenclature of Czech chemistJan Svatopluk Presl and the linguistJosef Jungmann. In 1882 he was appointed as the first professor of chemistry atCharles-Ferdinand University in Prague.
In later life, he wrote many popular textbooks as well as making over 20,000 observations ofvariable stars. His wife and co-worker Paulína Šafaříková[2] was interested in the history and popularisation of astronomy.
The craterŠafařík on theMoon is named after him, and so is the minor planet8336 Šafařík (in conjunction with his wife).
Vojtěch Šafařík's name has often been incorrectly recorded as Adalbert Šafařík. It is thought that the confusion arose because of misguided translation attempts. SaintAdalbert of Prague is known in Czech by his birth name ofVojtěch; however, that Vojtěch took the name Adalbert for hisConfirmation, in honour of his tutorAdalbert of Magdeburg. Thus, the two names (Vojtěch and Adalbert) have no linguistic relationship with each other.
Šafařík himself contributed to the confusion. His written astronomical works are signed either "A. Šafařík" or "Adalbert Vojtěch Šafařík" as can be seen from the Astrophysics Data System listing all his papers.[3]
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