Sir William Ramsay (; 2 October 1852 – 23 July 1916) was a Scottish chemist who discovered the
noble gases
The noble gases (historically also the inert gases; sometimes referred to as aerogens) make up a class of chemical elements with similar properties; under standard conditions, they are all odorless, colorless, monatomic gases with very low che ...
and received the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...
in 1904 "in recognition of his services in the discovery of the inert gaseous elements in air" along with his collaborator,
John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, who received the
Nobel Prize in Physics
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then " ...
that same year for their discovery of
argon
Argon is a chemical element with the symbol Ar and atomic number 18. It is in group 18 of the periodic table and is a noble gas. Argon is the third-most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere, at 0.934% (9340 ppmv). It is more than twice as abu ...
. After the two men identified argon, Ramsay investigated other atmospheric gases. His work in isolating argon,
helium,
neon
Neon is a chemical element with the symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is a noble gas. Neon is a colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas under standard conditions, with about two-thirds the density of air. It was discovered (along with krypton ...
,
krypton, and
xenon led to the development of a new section of the
periodic table
The periodic table, also known as the periodic table of the (chemical) elements, is a rows and columns arrangement of the chemical elements. It is widely used in chemistry, physics, and other sciences, and is generally seen as an icon of ch ...
.
Early years
Ramsay was born at 2 Clifton Street
[Glasgow Post Office Directory 1852] in
Glasgow on 2 October 1852, the son of civil engineer and surveyor, William C. Ramsay, and his wife, Catherine Robertson.
The family lived at 2 Clifton Street in the city centre, a three-storey and basement Georgian townhouse.
The family moved to 1 Oakvale Place in the
Hillhead district in his youth. He was a nephew of the
geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, alth ...
Sir Andrew Ramsay.
He was educated at
Glasgow Academy and then apprenticed to Robert Napier, a shipbuilder in
Govan
Govan ( ; Cumbric?: ''Gwovan'?''; Scots: ''Gouan''; Scottish Gaelic: ''Baile a' Ghobhainn'') is a district, parish, and former burgh now part of south-west City of Glasgow, Scotland. It is situated west of Glasgow city centre, on the south b ...
. However, he instead decided to study Chemistry at the
University of Glasgow, matriculating in 1866 and graduating in 1869. He then undertook practical training with the chemist
Thomas Anderson and then went to study in Germany at the
University of Tübingen
The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (german: Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen; la, Universitas Eberhardina Carolina), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Wü ...
with
Wilhelm Rudolph Fittig
Wilhelm Rudolph Fittig (6 December 183519 November 1910) was a German chemist. He discovered the pinacol coupling reaction, mesitylene, diacetyl and biphenyl. Fittig studied the action of sodium on ketones and hydrocarbons. He discovered the Fit ...
where his doctoral thesis was entitled ''Investigations in the
Toluic and
Nitrotoluic Acids''.
Ramsay went back to Glasgow as Anderson's assistant at
Anderson College. He was appointed as Professor of Chemistry at the
University College of Bristol in 1879 and married Margaret Buchanan in 1881. In the same year he became the Principal of University College, Bristol, and somehow managed to combine that with active research both in
organic chemistry and on gases.
Career
William Ramsay formed
pyridine in 1876 from acetylene and hydrogen cyanide in an iron-tube furnace in what was the first synthesis of a heteroaromatic compound.
In 1887, he succeeded
Alexander Williamson as the chair of Chemistry at
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = � ...
(UCL). It was here at UCL that his most celebrated discoveries were made. As early as 1885–1890, he published several notable papers on the
oxides of
nitrogen, developing the skills that he needed for his subsequent work.
On the evening of 19 April 1894, Ramsay attended a lecture given by
Lord Rayleigh
John William Strutt, 3rd Baron Rayleigh, (; 12 November 1842 – 30 June 1919) was an English mathematician and physicist who made extensive contributions to science. He spent all of his academic career at the University of Cambridge. Amo ...
. Rayleigh had noticed a discrepancy between the density of nitrogen made by
chemical synthesis and nitrogen isolated from the air by removal of the other known components. After a short conversation, he and Ramsay decided to investigate this. In August Ramsay told Rayleigh he had isolated a new, heavy component of air, which did not appear to have any
chemical reactivity
In chemistry, reactivity is the impulse for which a chemical substance undergoes a chemical reaction, either by itself or with other materials, with an overall release of energy.
''Reactivity'' refers to:
* the chemical reactions of a single ...
. He named this inert gas "
argon
Argon is a chemical element with the symbol Ar and atomic number 18. It is in group 18 of the periodic table and is a noble gas. Argon is the third-most abundant gas in Earth's atmosphere, at 0.934% (9340 ppmv). It is more than twice as abu ...
", from the Greek word meaning "lazy".
In the following years, working with
Morris Travers, he discovered
neon
Neon is a chemical element with the symbol Ne and atomic number 10. It is a noble gas. Neon is a colorless, odorless, inert monatomic gas under standard conditions, with about two-thirds the density of air. It was discovered (along with krypton ...
,
krypton, and
xenon. He also isolated
helium, which had only been observed in the
spectrum
A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors ...
of the sun, and had not previously been found on earth. In 1910 he isolated and characterised
radon.
During 1893–1902, Ramsay collaborated with
Emily Aston, a British chemist, in experiments on mineral analysis and atomic weight determination. Their work included publications on the molecular surface energies of mixtures of non-associating liquids.
He was appointed a Knight Commander of the
Order of the Bath
The Most Honourable Order of the Bath is a British order of chivalry founded by George I on 18 May 1725. The name derives from the elaborate medieval ceremony for appointing a knight, which involved bathing (as a symbol of purification) as one ...
(KCB) in the
1902 Coronation Honours
The 1902 Coronation Honours were announced on 26 June 1902, the date originally set for the coronation of King Edward VII. The coronation was postponed because the King had been taken ill two days before, but he ordered that the honours list shou ...
list published on 26 June 1902, and invested as such by King
Edward VII
Edward VII (Albert Edward; 9 November 1841 – 6 May 1910) was King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and Emperor of India, from 22 January 1901 until his death in 1910.
The second child and eldest son of Queen Victoria a ...
at
Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It ha ...
on 24 October 1902.
In 1904, Ramsay received the
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
)
, image = Nobel Prize.png
, alt = A golden medallion with an embossed image of a bearded man facing left in profile. To the left of the man is the text "ALFR•" then "NOBEL", and on the right, the text (smaller) "NAT•" then "M ...
.
Ramsay's standing among scientists led him to become an adviser to the
Indian Institute of Science
The Indian Institute of Science (IISc) is a public, deemed, research university for higher education and research in science, engineering, design, and management. It is located in Bengaluru, in the Indian state of Karnataka. The institute wa ...
. He suggested
Bangalore
Bangalore (), officially Bengaluru (), is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Karnataka. It has a population of more than and a metropolitan population of around , making it the third most populous city and fifth most ...
as the location for the institute.
Ramsay endorsed the Industrial and Engineering Trust Ltd., a company that claimed it could extract
gold from
seawater, in 1905. It bought property on the English coast to begin its secret process. The company never produced any gold.
Ramsay was the president of the
British Association
The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...
in 1911–1912.
Personal life
In 1881, Ramsay was married to Margaret Johnstone Marshall (née Buchanan), daughter of George Stevenson Buchanan. They had a daughter, Catherine Elizabeth (Elska) and a son, William George, who died at 40.
Ramsay lived in
Hazlemere
Hazlemere is a large village and civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, northeast of High Wycombe on the A404 leading to Amersham, which intersects with the B474 at Hazlemere. To the north of the village is the hamlet of Holmer Green, whi ...
,
Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire (), abbreviated Bucks, is a ceremonial county in South East England that borders Greater London to the south-east, Berkshire to the south, Oxfordshire to the west, Northamptonshire to the north, Bedfordshire to the north-east ...
, until his death. He died in
High Wycombe
High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...
, Buckinghamshire, on 23 July 1916 from
nasal cancer at the age of 63 and was buried in Hazlemere
parish church.
Legacy
A
blue plaque
A blue plaque is a permanent sign installed in a public place in the United Kingdom and elsewhere to commemorate a link between that location and a famous person, event, or former building on the site, serving as a historical marker. The term i ...
at number 12
Arundel Gardens,
Notting Hill
Notting Hill is a district of West London, England, in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea. Notting Hill is known for being a cosmopolitan and multicultural neighbourhood, hosting the annual Notting Hill Carnival and Portobello Road ...
, commemorates his life and work.
The
Sir William Ramsay School
Sir William Ramsay School is a co-educational secondary school in Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire. It takes children from the age of 11 through to the age of 18 with a total of approximately 1,180 pupils attending. The school shares a common catchment ...
in Hazlemere and
Ramsay grease Ramsay grease is a vacuum grease, used as a lubrication and a sealant of ground glass joints and cocks on laboratory glassware, e.g. burettes. It is usable to about 10−2 mbar (about 1 Pa) and about 30 °C. Its vapor pressure at 20 °C i ...
are named after him.
There is a memorial to him by
Charles Hartwell
Charles Hartwell (; Pinyin: ''Xià Chálǐ''; Foochow Romanized: ''Hâ Chák-lī''; December 19, 1825 - January 30, 1905) was an American Board missionary to Foochow, China in the second half of the 19th century.
Life and work
Hartwell was ...
in the north aisle of the choir at
Westminster Abbey.
In 1923,
University College London
, mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward
, established =
, type = Public research university
, endowment = £143 million (2020)
, budget = � ...
named its new Chemical Engineering department and seat after Ramsay, which had been funded by the Ramsay Memorial Fund. One of Ramsay's former graduates,
H. E. Watson was the third Ramsay professor of chemical engineering.
On 2 October 2019,
Google celebrated his 167th birthday with a
Google Doodle.
See also
*
Clan Ramsay
Clan Ramsay is a Lowland Scottish clan.Way, George and Squire, Romily. ''Collins Scottish Clan & Family Encyclopedia''. (Foreword by The Rt Hon. The Earl of Elgin KT, Convenor, The Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs). Published in 1994. Pages 29 ...
References
;Secondary sources
*
*
*
*
External links
* including the Nobel Lecture 12 December 1904 ''The Rare Gases of the Atmosphere'' from Nobelprize.org website
Sir William Ramsay School*
Eponymous schoolWeb genealogy article on RamsayChemical genealogy*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramsay, William
1852 births
1916 deaths
19th-century British chemists
19th-century Scottish people
20th-century British chemists
20th-century Scottish people
19th-century Scottish scientists
20th-century Scottish scientists
People from Hillhead
People educated at the Glasgow Academy
Alumni of the University of Glasgow
University of Tübingen alumni
Academics of the University of Strathclyde
Academics of the University of Glasgow
Academics of the University of Bristol
Academics of University College London
Discoverers of chemical elements
Honorary Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
Fellows of the Royal Society
Foreign associates of the National Academy of Sciences
Corresponding members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences
Honorary members of the Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences
Knights Commander of the Order of the Bath
Nobel laureates in Chemistry
Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class)
Scottish chemists
Scottish knights
Scottish Nobel laureates
Noble gases
Academics of University College Bristol
Industrial gases
Recipients of the Matteucci Medal