Robert Warington (1807-1867) was a central figure in the mid-nineteenth century chemical community, notably through his role in the foundation of the Chemical Society of London in 1841. As demand for chemical services grew, Warington constructed an ultimately lucrative career in chemistry in which consulting played a major part. His formative years laid ideal foundations for establishing himself as a consultant, whilst his appointment as chemical operator to the Society of Apothecaries' pharmaceutical trade provided the status and infrastructure to sustain this activity. Here I explore the nature of the chemical services he performed for a range of customers through a survey of his experimental notes. At a time when professional boundaries in the subject were being delineated, this case study provides an example of how chemistry could be commercialised outside the academic environment and how consulting merged into a broader scientific career.
Download full-text PDF |
Source |
|---|---|
| http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/00026980.2020.1794698 | DOI Listing |
Publication Analysis
Top Keywords
Similar Publications
Robert Warington and Heinrich Will: Friendship and Co-operation in Chemistry in Nineteenth Century Britain and Germany.
Ambix
November 2022
Department of Science and Technology Studies, University College London, London, UK.
This paper discusses fourteen letters that Heinrich Will (1812-1890), Justus Liebig's (1803-1873) successor at the University of Giessen, sent to Robert Warington (1807-1867), the chemical operator at Apothecaries' Hall in London, between 1842 and 1854. The correspondence illuminates a range of topics related to the development of the British chemical community in mid-Victorian Britain - its organisations, networks, and commercial opportunities, as well as offering insights into the importance of family, friendship, and collegiality in sustaining scientific careers. Studying such an exchange of material and textual knowledge helps to further understand how science was organised and ideas disseminated in a key period for institutional development in chemistry.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIt Takes a Village: Discovering and Isolating the Nitrifiers.
Front Microbiol
August 2020
Division of Microbial Ecology, Centre for Microbiology and Environmental Systems Science, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
It has been almost 150 years since Jean-Jacques Schloesing and Achille Müntz discovered that the process of nitrification, the oxidation of ammonium to nitrate, is a biological process carried out by microorganisms. In the following 15 years, numerous researchers independently contributed paradigm shifting discoveries that formed the foundation of nitrification and nitrification-related research. One of them was Sergei Winogradsky, whose major accomplishments include the discovery of both lithotrophy (in sulfur-oxidizing bacteria) and chemoautotrophy (in nitrifying bacteria).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRobert Warington (1807-1867) was a central figure in the mid-nineteenth century chemical community, notably through his role in the foundation of the Chemical Society of London in 1841. As demand for chemical services grew, Warington constructed an ultimately lucrative career in chemistry in which consulting played a major part. His formative years laid ideal foundations for establishing himself as a consultant, whilst his appointment as chemical operator to the Society of Apothecaries' pharmaceutical trade provided the status and infrastructure to sustain this activity.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWant AI Summaries of new PubMed Abstracts delivered to your In-box?
Enter search terms and have AI summaries delivered each week - change queries or unsubscribe any time!