Axel Fredrik Cronstedt

Axel Fredrik Cronstedt was a Swedish mineralogist and chemist, born in 1722 on the estate of Ströpsta in Sudermania and dying in 1765. After studying at Uppsala and the School of Mines and taking classes in chemical analysis with Georg Brandt, he worked as a mining expert with the Bureau of Mines and later as a superintendent of mining districts. He discovered the element nickel in 1751, found the mineral scheelite and named it tungsten, and coined the term zeolite in 1756. He introduced the blowpipe as a tool for mineralogists and in his 1758 book Försök til mineralogie proposed arranging minerals on the basis of chemical analysis, which is why he is considered a founder of modern mineralogy. He became a member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences in 1753.