The burette, an important volumetric tool, was invented by Karl Friedrich Mohr somewhere around the middle of the 19th century. There had been other devices carrying the name “burette,” but they required pouring. Mohr introduced a rubber tube with a clamp that allowed the gradual drop-by-drop flow needed for titration (the clamp was later replaced by a tap). Mohr’s 1855 book on titration, which illustrated the device, helped it to become the key item of analytical equipment it still (in spite of more modern digital devices) is today. Thanks, Karl!
Once again, a Google ngram summarises the history, with the word “burette” rapidly gaining popularity from 1855, but being replaced by the word for the process, which itself faded after 1960 – perhaps because of the growth of other kinds of science.
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