The Chemical Society was a scientific society formed in 1841 (then named the Chemical Society of London) by 77 scientists as a result of increased interest in scientific matters. Chemist Robert Warington was the driving force behind its creation.

The London Chemical Society 1824

The early days of the 1824 Chemical Society came with a rough start. Among the artisan class, the magazine The Chemist, written by John Knight and Henry Lacey, had started to get some traction. The thought was that the society would adopt a more experimental system as opposed to the previously disliked theoretical system. In doing so, members would give a lecture, and illustrative of the experiments they performed. Despite its founding in 1824, it is doubtful that the Chemical Society made it into 1825. The Chemical Society of London, however, would eventually be founded under Robert Warington and had much more success than its predecessor.

History

One of the aims of the Chemical Society was to hold meetings for "the communication and discussion of discoveries and observations, an account of which shall be published by the Society". In 1847, its importance was recognized by a Royal Charter, which added to its role in the advancement of science, the development of chemical applications in industry. Only a decade after the creation of the Chemical Society of London, the society faced financial difficulties. Its survival was only possible through a merge with the Government School of Mines, now known as the Royal School of Mines, in 1853. One of the major issues was that most Chemical Society members were in London. In contrast, most industries were located farther north, with South Lancashire becoming one of the most important parts of the British chemical industry, overshadowing the Chemical Society's work. This work was crucial as mining safety concerns grew, especially after the Felling Colliery Disaster, which led to the founding of the Society for the Prevention of Accidents in Coal Mines in 1813. One assertion of a cause of success of the Chemical Society of London is that it was, unlike its forerunners, a "fruitful amalgamation of the technological and academic chemist".

Robert Warington had an upbringing in chemistry that ultimately led to the creation of the Chemical Society of London (in 1841). Warington had started making a name for himself in the chemistry world, having close ties with Liebig and Faraday. Utilizing connections he had made throughout his professional career he reached out to numerous chemists to create the first meeting of the official Chemical Society of London (March 30, 1841). The society used its scholarly background to display its reputation and stature and grow its connections to elevate itself and its members.

Its activities expanded over the years, including eventually becoming a major publisher in the field of chemistry. On May 15, 1980, it amalgamated with the Royal Institute of Chemistry, the Faraday Society, and the Society for Analytical Chemistry to become the Royal Society of Chemistry. The Chemical Society also was expanding far before this as Roberts and Simmons wrote about British Chemical Societies, "Throughout the first half of the twentieth century, of those who worked outside the UK, more than half worked in Europe, the United States, or a range of other countries outwith the British Empire."

Women in The Chemical Society

After a proposal in 1880 questioning women's membership in The Chemical Society, it was decided that any women present in the Chemical Society were only guests as the Presidential address from Birkbeck revealed that women were not eligible for membership. This was eventually granted in 1919, and Humphrey was subsequently elected to fellowship. This, however, was not the first attempt for women to enter The Chemical Society. In 1892, a woman (either Emily Lloyd or Lucy Boole) had tried.

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  • Arthur Aikin
  • Thomas Andrews
  • J A Barron
  • James Blake
  • William Blythe
  • William Thomas Brande
  • E W Brayley
  • Henry James Brooke
  • Charles Button
  • Thomas Clark
  • William John Cock
  • John Thomas Cooper
  • John Thomas Cooper Jnr.
  • Andrew Crosse
  • Walter Crum
  • James Cumming
  • John Frederic Daniell
  • Charles Daubeny
  • Edmund Davy
  • Warren De la Rue
  • Thomas Everitt
  • William Ferguson
  • George Fownes
  • A Frampton
  • J P Gassiot
  • Thomas Gill

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  • Thomas Graham
  • John Graham
  • John Joseph Griffin
  • Thomas Griffiths
  • William Robert Grove
  • Charles Heisch
  • Henry Hennell
  • Thomas Hetherington Henry
  • William Herapath
  • Thomas Charles Hope
  • F R Hughes
  • Percival Johnson
  • James Johnston
  • W B Leeson
  • George Dixon Longstaff
  • George Lowe
  • Robert Macgregor
  • Charles Macintosh
  • John Mercer
  • William Hallowes Miller
  • Thomas Moody
  • David Mushet
  • J A Paris
  • H L Pattinson
  • Thomas Pearsall
  • Frederic Penny

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  • William Haseldine Pepys
  • Richard Phillips
  • Lyon Playfair
  • Robert Porrett
  • L H Potts
  • G Owen Rees
  • David Boswell Reid
  • Thomas Richardson
  • Maurice Scanlan
  • Ollive Sims
  • Denham Smith
  • Edward Solly Jnr
  • John Stenhouse
  • Richard Taylor
  • John Tennent
  • E F Teschemacher
  • Thomas Thomson
  • Robert Dundas Thomson
  • Wilton George Turner
  • Robert Warington
  • William West
  • James Low Wheeler
  • George Wilson
  • John Wilson
  • Philip Yorke

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See also

  • Journal of the Chemical Society
  • Proceedings of the Chemical Society
  • Chemical Society Reviews

References

  • History of Royal Society of Chemistry and the former societies