What is william perkin famous for

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The career of Sir William Henry Perkin was initiated by one of the most fortuitous discoveries in the history of chemistry. He did not realize his goal, but his curiosity led to financial success.

Perkin was a student at the City of London Day School where he was influenced by Mr. Thomas Hall, a former student of Hofmann at the Royal College of Chemistry . In spite of Perkin senior's desire for his son to become an architect [for an architect turned chemist, see August Kekule], several meetings with Hall set the course for Perkin's future career as a chemist.

Perkin entered the Royal College at the tender age of fifteen in 1853. Because Perkin was otherwise engaged during the day in research at the College, he set up a home laboratory where he was able to conduct his own work in the evening and during vacation. In 1849, Hofmann had suggested how certain coal tar products could be converted into alkaloids (base-like, i.e., amines). As a consequence, the synthesis of the naturally occurring alkaloid, quinine, from the bark of the cinchona tree was offered as a challenging

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It is hard to realize today what an epoch-making idea it was at that time to dye fabrics with a substance evolved in the laboratory and having no relation whatever to the dyestuffs then known. It was truly the spark of genius which led Perkin to investigate the dyeing properties of that dark-colored precipitate which would have been cast away by any other scientist of that period.... [Schweitzer 482]

riting the standard chemistry text book of the late nineteenth / early twentieth century, Walter Henry Perkin Jr. (1860-1929) and Stanley Kipping (1863-1949), two distinguished professors of chemistry who happened to be brothers-in-law, explained: “Although most organic compounds are colourless, some, especially certain classes of the aromatic series, are intensely coloured substances amongst which representatives of almost every shade occur; most of the principal dyes used at the present day are, in fact, aromatic compounds, the primary source of which is coal-tar — hence the well-known expression ‘coal-tar colours.’” (54). In fact, the "well-known expression" they me

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William Henry Perkin

British chemist known for his accidental discovery of the first synthetic dye

For the organic chemist and son of William Henry Perkin, see William Henry Perkin Jr.

Sir William Henry Perkin FRS (12 March 1838 – 14 July 1907)^[1] was a British chemist and entrepreneur best known for his serendipitous discovery of the first commercial synthetic organicdye, mauveine, made from aniline. Though he failed in trying to synthesisequinine for the treatment of malaria, he became successful in the field of dyes after his first discovery at the age of 18.^[2]

Perkin set up a factory to produce the dye industrially. Lee Blaszczyk, professor of business history at the University of Leeds, states, "By laying the foundation for the synthetic organic chemicals industry, Perkin helped to revolutionize the world of fashion."^[2]

Early years

William Perkin was born in the East End of London,^[3] the youngest of the seven children of George Perkin, a successful carpenter. His mother, Sarah, was of Scottish descent and moved