NOTEWORTHY INVENTORS:
• After mixing in carbons and hydrogens extracted from coal tar, the result was a black sludge. Perkin threw it away, then washed his flasks out with water and alcohol but was interested to see that the sludge residue turned the water and alcohol purple. • Experimenting further, Perkin extracted the substance that caused the color, and sent samples to a friend in the dye business. The purple substance was effective at dying cotton and silk. • At the time, purple dye was obtained from mollusks and it took 12,000 mollusks to produce enough dye for a single dress, and it was not color-fast. Only royalty could afford purple clothing. Perkin’s dye was permanent, cheap, and easy. • William, who was only 17 when he made his discovery, subsequently decided to go into the dye business. In 1856, the Patent Office granted Perkin a patent for ‘a new colouring matter for dyeing.’
• William’s father invested his savings in order to build a factory, and the business was wildly successful. He continued his research, finding how to prevent cloth from being dyed unevenly by using a soap bath to ensure even application of the color. He found methods of creating light and dark shades of mauve. He figured out how to dye cloth in calico patterns. • His contribution to dye chemistry happened just as the Industrial Revolution was taking place. Cotton fabric could be manufactured and dyed very cheaply, making it possible for common people to buy better and more colorful clothing. • William became rich in short order, selling his factory and retiring from the business at the age of 36 to pursue other interests. • His discovery revolutionized the dye industry and sparked the birth of the synthetic chemical industry. Coal tar had previously been thought of as a useless by-product of the gas industry, whose only known use was for water-proofing boots. Perkin’s discovery laid the foundations for an industry that found uses for coal tar ranging from pharmaceuticals to perfumes to Saccharine. As a result of Perkin’s discovery, over 700 new compounds were found.
Answer
• After hearing a lecture on the difficulties of extracting quinine, Perkin decided to try to synthesize quinine. He started with aniline, made from distilling the indigo plant, because he thought the chemical structure was similar enough to quinine that he could alter it.
• William didn’t know anything about textiles or the large scale production of chemicals. However, 1857 the Empress Eugénie, wife of Napoleon III, began to wear mauve-colored gowns. In 1858, Queen Victoria wore mauve to her daughter’s wedding. Suddenly mauve was in demand. Since he was the only person who knew how to produce the dye, his success was assured.
Weekly SUDOKU
• In the mid-1800s malaria caused many deaths. The only remedy was quinine, painstakingly derived from the bark of the cinchona tree.
• The dye was a hit in France, where they named it ‘malva’ for the mallow flower, which is the same color as the dye. Chemists later altered this French name slightly, giving the dye its common name: Mauve.
Answer
• Born in England in 1838, William Perkin was supposed to grow up to be an architect, which is what his father wanted. However, a youthful chemistry experiment with soda and alum caused William to become far more interested in chemistry than architecture. As a result, he attended the City of London School, one of the first schools to teach chemistry as a standard subject. William excelled.
King CROSSWORD
WILLIAM PERKIN