Perkins, William Henry, study

Perkin, W. H. J. Chem. Soc. 1868, 21, 53. William Henry Perkin (1838—1907), bom in London, England, studied under Hofmann at the Royal College of Chemistry. In an attempt to synthesize quinine in his home laboratory in 1856, Perkin synthesized mauve, the purple dye. He then started a factory to manufacture mauve and later other dyes including alizarin. Perkin was the first person to show that organic chemistry was not just mere intellectual curiosity but could be profitable, which catapulted the discipline into a higher level. In addition, Perkin was also an exceptionally talented pianist. 

PERKIN, SIR WILLIAM HENRY (1838-1907). An English chemist who was the first to make a synthetic dyestuff (1856). He studied under Hofman at the Royal College of London. Perkin s first dye was called mauveine, but he proceeded to synthesize alizarin and coumarin, the first synthetic perfume. In 1907 he was awarded the first Perkin Medal, which has ever since been awarded by the American Division of the Society of Chemical Industry for distinguished work in chemistry. Not withstanding the fact that Perkin patented and manufactured mauve dye in England, the center of the synthetic dye industry shifted to Germany, where it remained until 1914. 

The father of modem synthetic dyes was William Henry Perkin (1838-1907), who synthesized mauve, or aniline purple, in 1856. The story behind this great story bears telling. William s father was a builder who wanted him to become an architect, but like many others, Perkin did not follow his father s chosen profession. Perkin studied at the City of London School where he became interested in chemistry at the age of 12. A teacher, Mr. Hall, gave him work in the laboratory, which in turn, inspired Perkin to follow his natural curiosity. At age 15, Perkin entered the Royal College of Science and listened to the lectures... 

Aniline featured prominantly in the development of the synthetic dye industry. In 1856, the 17-year-old William Henry Perkin, on holiday from the Royal College of Chemistry where he was studying with August Wilhelm Hofmann, was working in his home lab (isn t this what you do on your vacations ). As an unexpected outcome of a failed attempt to make quinine, Perkin obtained a black goop that stained his laboratory rag a beautiful mauve. This dye is the molecule shown above, pseudomauvine. Over Hofmann s objections, Perkin and his family set out to commercialize this dye. It was not a vast financial success, as colorfastness became a problem, and... 

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