Heinrich Rose

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Heinrich Rose (1795–1864) was a German mineralogist and analytic chemist. He was the brother of the mineralogist Gustav Rose (1798–1873) and a son of Valentin Rose (1762-1807).

He was professor at the University of Berlin from 1823. In 1846 he rediscovered the chemical element niobium, proving conclusivly that it was different than tantalum. This confirmed that Charles Hatchett had discovered the element in 1801 in columbite ore which he named named previously "columbium" (from the ore which Niobium and Tantlum coexist in). The element was eventrually assigned the name Niobium by IUPAC in 1950 after Niobe, the daughter of Tantalus in Greek mythology.