Edward John Bevan (11 December 1856 – 17 October 1921) was an English chemist. He became a leader in the affairs of the Society of Public Analysts and editor of The Analyst. Bevan was notable for his caustic wit. He was born in

Birkenhead Birkenhead () is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Wirral, Merseyside, England. The town is on the Wirral Peninsula, along the west bank of the River Mersey, opposite Liverpool. It lies within the Historic counties of England, historic co ...

. After graduating, he became a chemist at the Scottish paper making firm of Alexander Cowan & Co. He met Charles Frederick Cross, and the pair then attended Owens College,

Manchester Manchester () is a city and the metropolitan borough of Greater Manchester, England. It had an estimated population of in . Greater Manchester is the third-most populous metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, with a population of 2.92&nbs ...

. Cross who was interested in cellulose technology went into partnership with Bevan in 1885, setting up as analytical and consulting chemists in New Court, Lincoln's Inn in London. In 1888 they published what was to become a standard work on paper making. In 1892, together with another partner, Clayton Beadle (who was also an authority on paper making) they took out a patent for viscose which became the basis for the viscose,

rayon Rayon, also called viscose and commercialised in some countries as sabra silk or cactus silk, is a semi-synthetic fiber made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose fiber, cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products. It has t ...

and

cellophane Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose. Its low permeability to air, oils, greases, bacteria, and liquid water makes it useful for food packaging. Cellophane is highly permeable to water vapour, but may be coate ...

industries. In 1894 Cross and Bevan took out a patent for the manufacture of cellulose

acetate An acetate is a salt formed by the combination of acetic acid with a base (e.g. alkaline, earthy, metallic, nonmetallic, or radical base). "Acetate" also describes the conjugate base or ion (specifically, the negatively charged ion called ...

- this was to become the industrial process for its manufacture. He was awarded the

John Scott Medal John Scott Award, created in 1816 as the John Scott Legacy Medal and Premium, is presented to men and women whose inventions improved the "comfort, welfare, and happiness of human kind" in a significant way. "...the John Scott Medal Fund, establish ...

The Franklin Institute The Franklin Institute is a science museum and a center of science education and research in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. It is named after the American scientist and wikt:statesman, statesman Benjamin Franklin. It houses the Benjamin Franklin ...

in 1895.

Sources

''Named Things in Chemical Industry''

External links

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bevan, Edward John 1856 births 1921 deaths 19th-century English chemists Textile scientists Papermakers 20th-century English chemists People from Birkenhead