THE INFLUENCE OF RESEARCH ON THE 

 DEVELOPMENT OF THE COAL-TAR 

 DYE INDUSTRY.— Part I 



By FREDERICK ALFRED MASON, B.A. (Oxon), Ph.D. (Munich) 

 Royal College of Science, South Kensington, London 



{Received for publication May 22, 191 5) 



It is frequently said that the coal-tar dye industry began in 

 1856 with the discovery of mauve by the late Sir W. H. Perkin. 



Nevertheless the real foundations of the industry were laid 

 some thirty years previously in the discovery of benzene by 

 Michael Faraday at the Royal Institution in 1825. 



In those days gas-lighting was in its infancy, and gas pro- 

 duced by the distillation of oil was sent round to subscribers 

 compressed in iron cylinders. 



From time to time the complaint appears to have been 

 made to the managers of the " Portable Oil Gas Company " 

 that the cylinders, instead of containing pure compressed gas, 

 also contained a quantity of oil, which of course represented a 

 loss from the consumers' point of view, and Michael Faraday 

 was invited to investigate the question. 



He examined the oil and found that it consisted largely of 

 a light, mobile, fluid hydrocarbon to which he gave the name 

 of " bicarburet of hydrogen." 



This substance was identical with what is now known as 

 benzene, and was thus isolated for the first time by Faraday 

 (the original specimens are now in the Science Museum, South 

 Kensington). Faraday had, of course, little inkling in those 

 days of the importance that would presently attach to the 

 substance as the starting-point of a new industry. 



Between 1825 and 1856 a great deal of valuable pioneer 

 work was done upon the investigation of coal-tar, but before 

 considering the matter in detail it is worth noting the position 

 of chemistry, and more particularly of organic chemistry, in 

 those days. 



16 237 



