Klaproth was born in Wernigerode, Germany, on December 1, 1743. The most significant event in his young life was a fire that destroyed the family home when he was eight years old. Suddenly impoverished by the disaster, the Klaproth family was unable to pay for Martin's formal education. Instead, he was apprenticed to an apothecary (pharmacist) in nearby Quedlinburg at the age of 15.

In later years, he moved on to other apothecaries in Hanover, Berlin, Danzig, and back to Berlin. Along the way, he became interested in chemistry and began educating himself. His last stop on this series of journeys was at the famous Schwanenapotheke pharmaceutical-chemistry laboratory owned by the Rose family in Berlin. There he studied briefly under Valentin Rose. When Rose died in 1771, Klaproth became director of the laboratory and took responsibility for raising Rose's two sons. In 1780, Klaproth set up his own chemistry laboratory and, seven years...