8.

DISCOVERING PURPLE
Explanation:

For thousands of years, dyes used to colour textiles and other materials were made
from only natural sources. Historically, coloured dyes were made from the roots
and leaves of plants, and from certain animals. Among the most precious of the
animal-based dyes was the purple colour extracted from snails. This dye was very Commented [1]: animals
1.snails difficult to obtain and was therefore outrageously expensive. What was more,
colours from natural dyes tended to be quite dull, and they faded when exposed
to sunlight. But all this changed in 1856, when a London teenager made an
important discovery.

For thousands of years, dyes used to colour textiles and other materials were made
from only natural sources. Historically, coloured dyes were made from the roots
2.expensi and leaves of plants, and from certain animals. Among the most precious of the
animal-based dyes was the purple colour extracted from snails. This dye was very
ve
difficult to obtain and was therefore (outrageously=extremely) expensive. What
was more, colours from natural dyes tended to be quite dull, and they faded when
exposed to sunlight. But all this changed in 1856, when a London teenager made an
important discovery.

William Perkin was born on March 12, 1838, in London, England. His father was a
3.laborato builder, and the family lived in fairly prosperous circumstances in an otherwise
ry rather disreputable neighbourhood in the city's East End. As a boy, Perkin's
curiosity prompted early interests in the arts, sciences, photography, and
engineering. But then one day, when he was exploring his late grandfather's
home, he happened to come across a run-down, yet functional, laboratory, and
this solidified his passion for chemistry.

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

During his spring school holidays that year, Perkin spent his time at home
attempting to manufacture the drug from aniline, a by-product from the
manufacture of the gas that lit London's streets. 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
5.gas
substance further. Incorporating potassium dichromate and alcohol into the aniline
at various stages of the experimental process, he finally happened upon a deep
 purple solution. Perkin quickly grasped that his purple solution could be used to
colour fabric, thus making it the world's first synthetic dye.

With the help of his father and brother, Perkin set up a factory on a site near the
Grand Union Canal in Greenford Green, not far from London. Utilising the cheap
and almost unlimited supply of aniline available in the city, it began producing the
6.factory world's first synthetic dye in 1857. Perkin originally called his dye 'Tyrian Purple' or
'aniline purple', but then decided to call it 'mauve', after the French word for the
mallow plant used to make the colour violet. This was the name he fixed on in
1859, and is the name still in use to this day.

With the help of his father and brother, Perkin set up a factory on a site near the
Grand Union Canal in Greenford Green, not far from London. Utilising the cheap
and almost unlimited supply of aniline available in the city, it began producing the
7.mauve world's first synthetic dye in 1857. Perkin originally called his dye 'Tyrian Purple'
or 'aniline purple', but then decided to call it 'mauve', after the French word for
the mallow plant used to make the colour violet. This was the name he fixed on
in 1859, and is the name still in use to this day.

As a student at the City of London School, Perkin became immersed in the study of
chemistry. His teacher, Thomas Hall, encouraged him to attend a series of lectures
given by eminent scientist Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution. Those speeches
fired the young chemist's enthusiasm further, and he became determined to
attend the Royal College of Chemistry. Perkin's father hoped to convince his bright
8.TRUE
young son to follow in his older brother's footsteps into the more respectable field
of architecture, so he tried to prevent this at first. But pressure from Hall and the
wishes of his son won out, and Perkin entered the Royal College of Chemistry in
1853, at the age of 15. At the time of Perkin's enrolment, the college was headed
by 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, Perkins made the discovery that would
make him both famous and wealthy.

9. NOT No relevant information

GIVEN

With the help of his father and brother, Perkin set up a factory on a site near the
Grand Union Canal in Greenford Green, not far from London. Utilising the cheap
and almost unlimited supply of aniline available in the city, it began producing Commented [2]: not be a challenge
10.FALSE the world's first synthetic dye in 1857. Perkin originally called his dye 'Tyrian
Purple' or 'aniline purple', but then decided to call it 'mauve', after the French word
for the mallow plant used to make the colour violet. This was the name he fixed on
in 1859, and is the name still in use to this day.
 Commented [3]: => not sent
The company received an unexpected commercial boost from the Empress
Eugenie of France when she decided the new colour flattered her, and it soon
became the must-have shade for all the fashionable ladies of France. Not to be
11. FALSE outdone, England's Queen Victoria also appeared in public wearing a gown of the
same hue, thus making it all the rage in England as well. The dye was bold and fast,
and the public wanted more. So Perkin went back to the drawing board, and
between 1859 and 1864 he developed several more synthetic dye colours.

Commented [4]: => not sent

The company received an unexpected commercial boost from the Empress Eugenie
of France when she decided the new colour flattered her, and it soon became the
must-have shade for all the fashionable ladies of France. Not to be outdone,
12.TRUE England's Queen Victoria also appeared in public wearing a gown of the same hue,
thus making it all the rage in England as well. The dye was bold and fast, and the
public wanted more. So Perkin went back to the drawing board, and between 1859
and 1864 he developed several more synthetic dye colours.

It is important to note that Perkin's synthetic dye discoveries had effects far beyond
13.TRUE the merely decorative. The dyes also became vital to medical research in For
instance, they were used to stain previously invisible many ways.le microbes and
bacteria, allowing researchers to identify such bacilli as tuberculosis, cholera, and
anthrax.