Editing 1790 in science (section)

==Chemistry==
* July 31 – [[Samuel Hopkins (inventor)|Samuel Hopkins]] of [[Vermont]] is granted a [[patent]] for a [[potash]] production technique, the first issued under the [[1st United States Congress]]'s [[Patent Act of 1790]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=1&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&S1=1790$.PD.&OS=ISD/$/$/1790&RS=ISD/1790$$ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160415181250/http://patft.uspto.gov/netacgi/nph-Parser?Sect1=PTO2&Sect2=HITOFF&u=%2Fnetahtml%2FPTO%2Fsearch-adv.htm&r=1&p=1&f=G&l=50&d=PALL&S1=1790%24.PD.&OS=ISD%2F%24%2F%24%2F1790&RS=ISD%2F1790%24%24 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2016-04-15 |title=Patent Number: US0X0000001 }}</ref>
* Publication in [[Montpellier]] of [[Jean-Antoine Chaptal]]'s ''Élémens de chimie'', in which he coins the word ''[[nitrogen]]'' (''nitrogène'').
* [[Adair Crawford]], working with [[William Cruickshank (chemist)|William Cruickshank]], proposes the existence of the [[alkaline earth metal]] located near [[Strontian]] in Scotland which will later be isolated at [[strontium]].<ref>{{cite journal|last=Weeks|first=Mary Elvira|authorlink=Mary Elvira Weeks|title=The discovery of the elements: X. The alkaline earth metals and magnesium and cadmium|journal=[[Journal of Chemical Education]]|year=1932|volume=9|pages=1046–1057|doi=10.1021/ed009p1046|issue=6|bibcode=1932JChEd...9.1046W}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1080/00033794200201411|title=The early history of strontium|year=1942|last=Partington|first=J. R.|journal=[[Annals of Science]]|volume=5|page=157|issue=2}}</ref>