New-York tribune., 1906-11-18
DISCOVERY OF MAUVE.
Story Told by the Scientist Who
Found 1t.
BY Sir william Henry Perkin.

My father Vas a builder. In early childhood
I began to think about the choice of an occupa-
ton. and as / took an interest In everything that
went on about me thought should probably
follow in my fathers 91,otsteps and l busted
myself with practical carpestry at every possible
opportunity. Shortly before I,y thirteenth birth
day something occurred which was destined to
determine my final choice of an .coupation
young friend who had a cabinet of u1emical ap-
paratus showed me some experiments of q very
elementary sort, including the crystallizstion of
soda and alum, and these experiments SEEMED
to wonderful (and indeed every formation
of crystals appears wonderful to me to this dap
that l that chemistry something far
higher than anything that I had yet met with.
and my ambition to become chemist was
awakened.
Until that time had attended private school
in the neighborhood, but left 1t and, at
the age Of thirteen, entered the City of London
School. In this public school lectures chem
istry and physics given during the noon
recess. It the only school in the country in
which these subjects were taught. ! had not
been there long before the teacher Thomas Hall.
B. A, observed my great interest in the lectures
and permitted me to assist in preparing the
lecture experiments. This raised me to the
highest pitch of enthusiasm. 1 often went with
out my luncheon in order to find time for my
work In the dreadful place that IN that schooi
was called 1.-The laboratory.
Hall had heard a few lectures by DR.. Hof-
mann and had worked with him for short
time in the Royal College of Chemistry in Ok
ford street. When 1 fifteen years old he
had several conversations with my father, and
the result that l went to DR.. Hofmann to
study chemistry under his direction.
soon finished my course of qualitative and
quantitative analysis and took up research
work. was now about seventeen years old, and
became assistant in DR. HOfmann'S expert
mental laboratory.
AS DR.. Hofmanns assistant l occupied all
day with his researches (Which at that time were
concerned chiefly with the phosphor bases)
therefore carried on my work in the evening
and at other spare times at home in my SCantly
furnished laboratory. and there it that, in
eighteen years old, discovered "mauve.' I was
LED thereto by an attempt to produce qu1nine
arif1cially from allyltoluidine which caused me
to study next the oxidation of anline.
Now, when experimenting with the dyestuff
thus obtained l found that it very stable
body that produced silk a beautiful violet,
exceedingly resistant to light-being in this re-
spect very different from archil. which was then
employed in silk dyeing-i appeared to that
1t would be useful dye If it could be produced
production made this seem almost hopeless, and
such would indeed have been the case had it not
possessed so strikingly intense a dyeing power.
! quietly continued my Investigations, sought to
at the time obtained introduction to
Messrs. Pullar. of Perth who gave favorable
opinion of the specimens of dyed silk submitted
TO them.
more time at my disposal l undertook with my
brothers assistance, technical experiments on a
very small scale, in which one or two ounces Of
the dyestuff were produced. Then. August