1776-1856

Italian Chemist

Amedeo Avogadro was an Italian lawyer, chemist, and physicist. He is best known for determining what is known as Avogadro's number, a physical and chemical constant used extensively in chemistry and physics calculations, including those involving gases.

The son of a lawyer and senator, Avogadro was born in 1776 in Turin, Italy. Avogadro began his career by earning a doctorate in law in 1796 and working as a lawyer for three years. In 1800 he began studying mathematics and physics with a private tutor, deciding to make his career in natural science instead of politics as was expected of him. He was appointed a professor of natural philosophy at the College of Vercelli in 1809, later earning an appointment as professor of mathematical physics.

Inspired by the work of Alessandro Volta (1745-1827), Avogadro began working on some problems in physics with...