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Percival Spencer Umfreville (Spencer) Pickering (6 March 1858 – 5 December 1920) was a British
"Obituary notice: Percival Spencer Umfreville Pickering"
''Biochemical Journal'' 15, 1–3 (1921). *S.U. Pickering, "Emulsions", ''Journal of the Chemical Society'' 91, 2001-2021 (1907). *W. Ramsden, Proceedings of the Royal Society (London) B 72, 156-164 (1903). {{DEFAULTSORT:Pickering, Spencer U 1858 births 1920 deaths English chemists Fellows of the Royal Society
Percival Spencer Umfreville (Spencer) Pickering (6 March 1858 – 5 December 1920) was a British chemist
A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...
and horticulturist
Horticulture is the branch of agriculture that deals with the art, science, technology, and business of plant cultivation. It includes the cultivation of fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, herbs, sprouts, mushrooms, algae, flowers, seaweeds and no ...
.
Born to Anne Maria Spencer-Stanhope and her husband Percival Pickering, Pickering grew up in a wealthy family, and was able to start a career in science by building his own laboratory in his private house. In 1881, he took up a position as lecturer at Bedford College, where he stayed until 1887. After losing an eye in a serious accident in his lab, his health waned and he moved to the countryside to the village of Harpenden
Harpenden () is a town and civil parish in the City and District of St Albans in the county of Hertfordshire, England. The population of the built-up area was 30,240 in the 2011 census, whilst the population of the civil parish was 29,448. ...
. Among the residents of the village were already four fellows of the Royal Society
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
, and Pickering was to become the fifth by 1890.
From 1894 on, he was director of the Woburn Experimental Fruit Farm, a private establishment by Pickering and the Duke of Bedford
Duke of Bedford (named after Bedford, England) is a title that has been created six times (for five distinct people) in the Peerage of England. The first and second creations came in 1414 and 1433 respectively, in favour of Henry IV's third ...
, where he worked to improve horticultural techniques.
In 1907, he discovered the phenomenon that emulsions can be stabilised by small particles instead of emulsifiers, nowadays referred to as Pickering stabilization, although the effect was already recognized by Walter Ramsden in 1903.
Literature
* E.J. Russell"Obituary notice: Percival Spencer Umfreville Pickering"
''Biochemical Journal'' 15, 1–3 (1921). *S.U. Pickering, "Emulsions", ''Journal of the Chemical Society'' 91, 2001-2021 (1907). *W. Ramsden, Proceedings of the Royal Society (London) B 72, 156-164 (1903). {{DEFAULTSORT:Pickering, Spencer U 1858 births 1920 deaths English chemists Fellows of the Royal Society