William Henry Perkin

The man who invented synthetic dyes

William Henry Perkin was born on March 12,1838, in London, England. As a boy,
Perkin’s curiosity prompted early interests in the arts, sciences, photography, and
engineering. But it was a chance stumbling upon a run-down, yet functional, laboratory in
his late grandfather’s home that solidified the young man’s enthusiasm for chemistry.

As a student at the City of London School, Perkin became immersed in the study of
chemistry. His talent and devotion to the subject were perceived by his teacher, Thomas
Hall, who encouraged him to attend a series of lectures given by the eminent scientist
Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution. Those speeches fired the young chemist’s
enthusiasm further, and he later went on to attend the Royal College of Chemistry, which
he succeeded in entering in 1853, at the age of 15.

At the time of Perkin’s enrolment, the Royal College of Chemistry was headed by the
noted German chemist August Wilhelm Hofmann. Perkin’s scientific gifts soon caught
Hofmann’s attention and, within two years, he became Hofmann’s youngest assistant. Not
long after that, Perkin made the scientific breakthrough that would bring him both fame
and fortune.

At the time, quinine was the only viable medical treatment for malaria. The drug is
derived from the bark of the cinchona tree, native to South America, and by 1856 demand
for the drug was surpassing the available supply. Thus, when Hofmann made some
passing comments about the desirability of a synthetic substitute for quinine, it was
unsurprising that his star pupil was moved to take up the challenge.

During his vacation in 1856, Perkin spent his time in the laboratory on the top floor of his
family’s house. He was attempting to manufacture quinine from aniline, an inexpensive
and readily available coal tar waste product. Despite his best efforts, however, he did not
end up with quinine. Instead, he produced a mysterious dark sludge.

Luckily, Perkin’s scientific training and nature prompted him to investigate the substance
further. Incorporating potassium dichromate and alcohol into the aniline at various stages
of the experimental process, he finally produced a deep purple solution. And, proving the
truth of the famous scientist Louis Pasteur’s words ‘chance favours only the prepared
mind’, Perkin saw the potential of his unexpected find.

Historically, textile dyes were made from such natural sources as plants and animal
excretions. Some of these, such as the glandular mucus of snails, were difficult to obtain
and outrageously expensive. Indeed, the purple colour extracted from a snail was once so
costly that in society at the time only the rich could afford it. Further, natural dyes tended
to be muddy in hue and fade quickly. It was against this backdrop that Perkin’s discovery
was made.

Perkin quickly grasped that his purple solution could be used to colour fabric, thus
making it the world’s first synthetic dye. Realising the importance of this breakthrough,
he lost no time in patenting it. But perhaps the most fascinating of all Perkin’s reactions
to his find was his nearly instant recognition that the new dye had commercial
possibilities.

Perkin originally named his dye Tyrian Purple, but it later became commonly known as
mauve (from the French for the plant used to make the colour violet). He asked advice of
Scottish dye works owner Robert Pullar, who assured him that manufacturing the dye
would be well worth it if the colour remained fast (i.e. would not fade) and the cost was
relatively low. So, over the fierce objections of his mentor Hofmann, he left college to
give birth to the modern chemical industry.
 With the help of his father and brother, Perkin set up a factory not far from London.
Utilising the cheap and plentiful coal tar that was an almost unlimited by product of
London’s gas street lighting, the dye works began producing the world’s first
synthetically dyed material in 1857. The company received a commercial boost from the
Empress Eugenie of France, when she decided the new colour flattered her. Very soon,
mauve was the necessary shade for all the fashionable ladies in that country.

Not to be outdone, England’s Queen Victoria also appeared in public wearing a mauve
gown, thus making it all the rage in England as well. The dye was bold and fast, and the
public clamoured for more. Perkin went back to the drawing board.

Although Perkin’s fame was achieved and fortune assured by his first discovery, the
chemist continued his research. Among other dyes he developed and introduced were
aniline red (1859) and aniline black (1863) and, in the late 1860s, Perkin’s green. It is
important to note that Perkin’s synthetic dye discoveries had outcomes far beyond the
merely decorative. The dyes also became vital to medical research in many ways. For
instance, they were used to stain previously invisible microbes and bacteria, allowing
researchers to identify such bacilli as tuberculosis, cholera, and anthrax. Artificial dyes
continue to play a crucial role today. And, in what would have been particularly pleasing
to Perkin, their current use is in the search for a vaccine against malaria.

Question 1 - 7

Do the following statements agree with the information given in the Reading Passage?

In following statements below, choose

TRUE if the statement agrees with the information

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

1Michael Faraday was the first person to recognise Perkin’s ability as a student of
chemistry

2Michael Faraday suggested Perkin should enroll in the Royal College of Chemistry.

3Perkin employed August Wilhelm Hofmann as his assistant.

4Perkin was still young when he made the discovery that made him rich and famous.

5The trees from which quinine is derived grow only in South America.

6Perkin hoped to manufacture a drug from a coal tar waste product.

7Perkin was inspired by the discoveries of the famous scientist Louis Pasteur.

Question 8 - 13

Answer the questions below.

Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer.

8
Before Perkin’s discovery, with what group in society was the colour purple associated?
9
What potential did Perkin immediately understand that his new dye had?
10
What was the name finally used to refer to the first colour Perkin invented?
11
What was the name of the person Perkin consulted before setting up his own dye works?
12
In what country did Perkin’s newly invented colour first become fashionable?
13
According to the passage, which disease is now being targeted by researchers using
synthetic dyes?