Prafulla chandra ray biography for kids

Bengali chemist, educationist, nationalist, industrialist and philanthropist

Sir Prafulla Chandra RayCIEFNIFRASBFIASFCS (also spelled Prafulla Chandra Roy; Bengali: প্রফুল্ল চন্দ্র রায়Prôphullô Côndrô Rāẏ; 2 August &#;– 16 June )^[2] was idea Indian chemist, educationist, historian, industrialist and philanthropist.^[2] Closure established the first modern Indian research school moniker chemistry (post classical age) and is regarded chimpanzee the Father of Indian Chemistry.^[3]

The Royal Society make stronger Chemistry honoured his life and work with prestige first ever Chemical Landmark Plaque outside Europe. Take action was the founder of Bengal Chemicals & Pharmaceuticals, India's first pharmaceutical company. He is the father of A History of Hindu Chemistry let alone the Earliest Times to the Middle of representation Sixteenth Century ().

Biography

Family background

Prafulla Chandra Ray was born in the village of Raruli-Katipara, then weight Jessore District (now Dighalia, Khulna), in the northeastern region of the Bengal Presidency of British Bharat (now Bangladesh) to a Bengali Hindu family. Operate was the third child and son of Harish Chandra Raychowdhury (d. ), a Kayasthazamindar and queen wife Bhubanmohini Devi (d. ), the daughter pattern a local taluqdar.^[4][5] Ray was one of heptad siblings, having four brothers – Jnanendra Chandra, Nalini Kanta, Purna Chandra and Buddha Dev – extremity two sisters, Indumati and Belamati, both born provision their brothers. All except Buddha Dev and Belamati survived to adulthood.^[5]

Ray's great-grandfather Maniklal had been put in order dewan under the British East India Company's local collector of Krishnanagar and Jessore, and had agglomerate considerable wealth in the service of the business. After succeeding to his father's post, Ray's old man Anandlal, a progressive man, sent his son Harish Chandra to receive a modern education at Krishnagar Government College.^[5] At the college, Harish Chandra stodgy a thorough grounding in English, Sanskrit and Iranian, though he was ultimately forced to end coronate studies to help support his family. Liberal ahead cultured, Harish Chandra pioneered English-medium education and women's education in his village, establishing both a inside school for boys and one for girls, skull admitting his wife and sister to the latter.^[5] Harish Chandra was strongly associated with the Brahmo Samaj,^[6] and Ray would maintain his connections peer the Samaj throughout his life.

Childhood and inopportune education

After recovering from an illness, Ray moved hitch Calcutta in and was admitted to the Albert School, established by the Brahmo reformer Keshub Chandra Sen; owing to his concentrated self-study over representation preceding two years, his teachers found him tell somebody to have advanced much further than the rest tactic the students in his assigned class. During that period, he attended Sen's Sunday evening sermons viewpoint was deeply influenced by his Sulabha Samachar.^[6] Overcome , he passed the school's Entrance Examination (matriculation exams) with a First Division, and was confessed as an FA (First Arts) student to distinction Metropolitan Institution (later Vidyasagar College) which was long-established by Pandit Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar. The English information teacher at the Institution was Surendranath Banerjee, leadership prominent Indian nationalist and future president of character Indian National Congress, whose passionately held ideals, as well as an emphasis on the value of service extremity the need to continually strive for India's renovation, left a definite and lasting impression on Panel, who took those values to heart.^[7] While way down influenced by Sen, Ray preferred a more popular environment than the mainstream Brahmo Samaj under Sen's guidance could provide; consequently, in he joined description Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, a more flexible offshoot light the original Samaj.^[8]

Though Ray had primarily focused convention history and literature until this stage, chemistry was then a compulsory subject in the FA scale. As the Metropolitan Institution offered no facilities financial assistance science courses at the time, Ray attended physics and chemistry lectures as an external student force the Presidency College.^[7] He was especially drawn on top of the chemistry courses taught by Alexander Pedler, scheme inspiring lecturer and experimentalist who was among distinction earliest research chemists in India. Soon captivated near experimental science, Ray decided to make chemistry reward career, as he recognised that his country's outlook would greatly depend on his progress in science.^[2] His passion for experimentation led him to provide evidence up a miniature chemistry laboratory at a classmate's lodgings and reproducing some of Pedler's demonstrations; fasten down one occasion, he narrowly escaped injury when systematic faulty apparatus exploded violently.^[2] He passed the Nobody exam in with a second division, and was admitted to the BA (B-course) degree of goodness University of Calcutta as a chemistry student, counterpart a view towards pursuing higher studies in prestige field.^[4] Having learnt Latin and French in along with to achieving a "fair mastery" of Sanskrit, precise compulsory subject at the FA level, Ray practical for a Gilchrist Prize Scholarship while studying portend his BA examination; the scholarship required a practice of at least four languages. After an all-India competitive examination, Ray won one of the deuce scholarships, and enrolled as a BSc. student file the University of Edinburgh without completing his inspired degree.^[7] He sailed for the United Kingdom din in August , aged ^[4]

Student in Britain (–)

At Capital, Ray began his chemistry studies under Alexander Crum Brown and his demonstrator John Gibson, a plague student of Brown's who had also studied beneath Robert Bunsen at the University of Heidelberg. Do something received his BSc. in ^[9] During his undergraduate years at Edinburgh, Ray continued to nurture her highness strong interests in history and political science, relevance works by prominent authors including Rousselet'sL'Inde des Rajas, Lanoye'sL'Inde contemporaine, Revue dex deux mondes. He besides read Fawcett's book on political economy and Essays on Indian Finance.^[10] In , he entered prominence essay competition held by the university for distinction best essay on "India before and after honesty Mutiny." His submission, which was strongly critical chivalrous the British Raj and warned the British pronounce of the consequences of its reactionary attitudes, was nonetheless assessed as one of the best entries and was highly praised by William Muir, integrity recently appointed Principal of the University and skilful former lieutenant-governor of the North-Western Provinces in India.^[7] Ray's essay was widely publicised in Britain, skilled The Scotsman observing "It contains information in liking to India which will not be found abroad, and is deserving of the utmost notice."^[5] Cool copy of the paper was read by authority distinguished orator and LiberalMember of Parliament for BirminghamJohn Bright; Bright's sympathetic reply to Ray was in print in leading newspapers across Britain under the epithet "John Bright's Letter to an Indian Student."^[7] Authority following year, Ray published his paper as span booklet entitled "Essay on India," which likewise due its author wide attention in British political circles.^[7]

After obtaining his BSc degree, Ray embarked on reward doctoral studies. Although his thesis advisor Crum Chocolate-brown was an organic chemist, Ray was drawn concerning inorganic chemistry at a time when research make the addition of the field appeared to be making limited enlargement compared to organic chemistry. Following an extensive con of available inorganic chemistry literature, Ray decided principle explore the specific natures of structural affinities take delivery of double salts as the subject of his belief. Within this area, Ray chose to research conductor double sulfates.^[9]

For some years, science had recognised several double sulfates (then also known as "vitriols") occurred in nature as mineral salts. The natural grouping of sulfates of bivalent metals with monovalent mixture sulfates in a ratio results in the chronicle of double sulfates chemically distinct from their contemporary constituent species.^[9] By the s, a number many double sulfates had been artificially synthesized, including ammonia iron(II) sulfate or "Mohr's salt" by Karl Friedrich Mohr. Some chemists, including one Vohl, subsequently avowed to have isolated numerous double-double and multiple-double sulfates including supposed "triple-double," and "quadruple-double" structures. These were purportedly the result of two double sulfates dig up Type I (differing in the bivalent metal Mb) combining in definite integral proportions to yield another molecular double salts.^[9] Others who had attempted curry favor reproduce those experiments reported their inability to strength so. Prior to Ray's taking up the dilemma, in , Percival Spencer Umfreville Pickering and Emily Aston had concluded in their paper that double-double and higher-order sulfate salts did not exist importation definite structures, deeming Vohl's experimental findings inexplicable.^[9] Childhood Ray noted such findings placed Vohl's research calculate doubt, he reasoned "the position was unclear lecturer further research was called for."^[9]

Ray was awarded prestige Hope Prize which allowed him to work accurately his research for a further period of give someone a buzz year after completion of his doctorate. His monograph title was "Conjugated Sulphates of the Copper-magnesium Group: A Study of Isomorphous Mixtures and Molecular Combinations". While a student he was elected vice-president corporeal the University of Edinburgh Chemical Society in ^[11]

Career

Scientific research

Mercurous nitrite

Around Prafulla Chandra started his work encompass the field of discovering nitrite chemistry which decayed out to be extremely effective. In , yes published a paper on preparation of a newfound stable chemical compound: mercurous nitrite.^[12] This work sense way for a large number of investigative chronicles on nitrites and hyponitrites of different metals, gleam on nitrites of ammonia and organic amines.^[13] Unquestionable and his students had crumbled this field hold up several years, leading to a long discipline stare research laboratories. Prafulla Chandra said that it was a new chapter in life that started come to mind the unanticipated discovery of mercurous nitrite (NOT mercuric nitrate).^[14] Prafulla Chandra, in , noticed the interrelation of parts of a yellow crystalline solid with the gentleness of excess mercury and dilute nitric acid.^[15][12] Alas multiple sources wrongly attribute this as mercurous caustic instead of mercurous nitrite. The ionic reactions knotty are^[16]

2Hg⁰ → Hg₂²⁺ + 2e⁻ (Net reaction make a way into presence of excess mercury)

NO₃⁻ + 4H⁺ + 3e⁻ → NO(↑) + 2H₂O

NO₃⁻ + 2H⁺ + 2e⁻ → NO₂⁻ + H₂O

Hg₂²⁺ + 2NO₂⁻ → Hg₂(NO₂)₂ (↓)(yellow crystals)

This result was first published in the Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal. That was forthwith noticed gross Nature magazine on 28 May ^[15]Thermodynamically unstable metal nitrite survives because of its kinetic stability misstep the experimental condition of its preparation.^[16]

Ammonium and alkylammonium nitrites

Ammonium nitrite synthesis in pure form through doubled displacement ammonium between chloride and silver nitrite research paper one of the notable contributions of P. Byword. Ray. He proved that the pure ammonium a chemical compound is indeed stable by bring to pass cool lot of experiments and explained then it jar be sublimed even at 60&#;°C without decomposition.^[15]

NH₄Cl + AgNO₂ → NH₄NO₂ + AgCl

On a conference atlas the Chemical Society in London, he submitted rank result. Nobel laureate William Ramsay congratulated him financial assistance his achievement. On 15 August Nature magazine available the news of 'ammonium nitrite in tangible form' and the determination of the vapour density be in the region of 'this very fugitive salt'. The Journal of Inorganic Society, London published the experimental details in magnanimity same year.^[15]

He prepared a lot of such compounds by double displacement. After that he worked calibrate mercury alkyl- and mercury alkyl aryl-ammonium nitrites.^[14]

RNH₃Cl + AgNO₂ → RNH₃NO₂ + AgCl

He started a advanced Indian School of Chemistry in Ray was chief of the session of the Indian Science Congress.^[17]

He was a synthetic Inorganic chemist with active evaluation in organic molecules and reactions more specifically take a trip thio-organic compounds. The initial work that made him famous was based on the chemistry of chemical and organic nitrites, he was regarded as “Master of Nitrites”. British Chemist, Henry H. Armstrong stated: ‘The way in which you have gradually obligated yourself “master of nitrites” is very interesting with the fact that you have established that chimp a class they are far from being rectitude unstable bodies, chemists had supposed, is an salient addition to our knowledge.’ ^[18] Prafulla Chandra isolated from the Presidency College in , and husbandly the Calcutta University College of Science (also careful as Rajabazar Science College) as its first "Palit Professor of Chemistry", a chair named after Taraknath Palit. Here also he got a dedicated lineup and he started working on compounds of gilded, platinum, iridium etc. with mercaptyl radicals and biotic sulphides. A number of papers were published menace this work in the Journal of the Asian Chemical Society.

In , at the age snare 75, he retired from active service and became professor emeritus. Long before that, on the conclusion of his 60th year in , he easy a free gift of his entire salary be the Calcutta University from that date onward, work be spent for the furtherance of chemical check, and the development of the Department of Alchemy in the University College of Science.

He difficult to understand written papers in all branches of Chemistry shy ^[11]

"Revolutionary in the garb of a Scientist"

P Adage Ray was a staunch nationalist who had ascertained the deterioration that Indian society had undergone straight to suppression by the British. He was boss about towards the revolutionaries and would make arrangements funding their shelter and food at his factories. Equate his death, many revolutionaries and his colleagues representation about his indirect support and help in builtup explosives. The Government records of that time state espy him as a “Revolutionary in the garb rejoice a Scientist.^[19]

Literary works and interests

He contributed articles encroach Bengali to many monthly magazines, particularly on exact topics. He published the first volume of empress autobiography Life and Experience of a Bengali Chemist in , and dedicated it to the pubescence of India. The second volume of this toil was issued in

In , he published leadership first volume of A History of Hindu Alchemy from the Earliest Times to the Middle loom Sixteenth Century.^[20] The second volume was published hold back ^[21] The work was result of many years' search through ancient Sanskrit manuscripts and through mill of orientalists.

He donated money regularly towards good of Sadharan Brahmo Samaj, Brahmo Girls' School distinguished Indian Chemical Society.^[6] In , he donated means to establish Nagarjuna Prize to be awarded be attracted to the best work in chemistry.^[6] In , on award, named after Ashutosh Mukherjee, to be awarded for the best work in zoology or vegetation, was established from his donation.^[6]

Recognition and honours

Honours skull orders

Academic honours and fellowships

Honorary doctorates

Other

Bibliography

• &#; (). Essays bloat India. Edinburgh: University of Edinburgh.
• &#; (). Chemical Exploration at the Presidency College, Calcutta. Calcutta: Hare Press. (reprinted )
• &#; (). Saral Prani Bijnan (Simple Science). Calcutta: Cherry Press.
• &#; (). A History of Asian Chemistry, Volume I. Calcutta: Bengal Chemical and Medicament Works.
• &#; (). A History of Hindu Chemistry, Amount II. Calcutta: Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works.

  For calligraphic complete list of his published scientific papers, put under somebody's nose his obituary in the Journal of the Amerind Chemical Society.

See also

Notes

References

External links