Jons Jacob Berzelius

Jons Jacob Berzelius was a Swedish chemist who from 1813 introduced the system of chemical notation still used today, representing each element with one or two letters drawn from its Latin name and denoting the count of atoms in a compound with numeral subscripts, replacing the pictorial and alchemical symbols earlier chemists including John Dalton had used. He determined atomic weights for a large share of the then-known elements with a precision that let other chemists build on his tables directly, discovered or co-discovered the elements cerium, selenium and thorium, and was among the first prominent chemists to accept Dalton's atomic theory. He also coined several terms still in chemical use, including catalysis, isomerism, protein and polymer. He died in 1848.