READING PASSAGE -1
William Henry Perkin
The man who invented synthetic dyes
William Henry Perkin
The man who invented synthetic dyes
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 tired 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 enrollment 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 ls 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, Perkins 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 favors 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. lt 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. Utilizing the cheap and plentiful coal tar
that was an almost unlimited byproduct 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 Eugenio of France, when
she decided the new color 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 Perkins 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 Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this more than once.
- Michael Faraday was the first person to recognize Perkin's ability as a student of chemistry.
- Michael Faraday suggested Perkin should enroll in the Royal College of Chemistry.
- Perkin employed August Wilhelm Hofmann as his assistant.
- Perkin was still young when he made the discovery that made him rich and famous.
- The trees from which quinine is derived grow only in South America.
- Perkin hoped to manufacture a drug from a coal tar waste product.
- Perkin was inspired by the discoveries ol the famous scientist Louis Pasteur.
Answer the Questions Below
Choose NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS from the passage for each answer
Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.
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 color Perkin invented?
11.What was the name of the person Perkin consulted before setting up his own dye works?
12. In what country did Perkins newly invented colour first become fashionable?
13. According lo the passage, which disease is now being targeted hy researchers using synthetic dyes?
ANSWER
1.FALSE
2.NOT GIVEN
3.FALSE 4.TRUE
5.NOT GIVEN
6.TRUE
7.NOT GIVEN
8.(the/only)rich
9.commercial(possibilities)
10.mauve (was/is)
11.(Robert)Pullar
12.(in) France
13.malaria (is)
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