Lars Nilson. Portrait of Lars Fredrik Nilson, Swedish chemist (1840-99). He became professor of analytical chemistry at Uppsala. Nilson is most well known as discoverer of the metal scandium and he was first to make titanium metal (with Otto Pettersson). Similar to steel, titanium is resistant to corrosion and very light, used in aircraft turbines, golf clubs, etc. He was also a major researcher on soils and fertilizers.