A

David

Darling

Helmont, Jan Baptista van (1580–1644)

Jan Helmont was a Flemish chemist, physician, and physiologist, regarded as the father of biochemistry. Helmont believed in the transmutation of metals and that water was the basic substance of the Earth. He was the first to discover that there are air-like substances distinct from air, and first used the name "gas" (Greek chaos) for them. He also discovered the gas now called carbon dioxide.