Bryan Higgins
Encyclopedia
Bryan Higgins was a natural philosopher in chemistry
.
He was born in Collooney
, County Sligo, Ireland
. His father (d. 1777) was also called Dr. Bryan Higgins. Higgins entered the University of Leiden in 1765, from whence he qualified as a doctor of physics
. He subsequently ran a School of Practical Chemistry
at 13 Greek Street, Soho
, London
during the 1770s, which was patronised by the then Duke of Northumberland
amongst others. He was more of a speculator than an experimenter, and published many works on chemistry and related disciplines. Joseph Priestly was an attendee of Higgins's lectures, but the two became enemies following a dispute over experiments on air (Priestly at the time was working on his six-volume tome Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air
).
At some point between 1780 and 1790, Higgins visited Saint Petersburg
at the favour of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia
. He returned to London in January 1794 to continue his lectures at the School of Practical Chemistry.
In 1779, Higgins obtained a patent
for a cheap and durable cement
, "...composed of sand
and lime
, and a certain proportion of bone-ashes
, the lime being slaked with lime water
instead of common water
, and the mixture
made use of as rapidly as possible after being made".
In 1797, Higgins was hired by a public committee in Jamaica
for the improvement of the manufacture of Muscovado sugar and rum
. He resided in Jamaica from 1797 to 1799.
Higgins died at his estate in Walford, Staffordshire
in 1820.
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
.
He was born in Collooney
Collooney
-Transport:Collooney is located just off the N4 and N17 roads, having been bypassed twice, by the N4 in 1998, and the N17 in 1992, and is the meeting point of both roads. The town was a significant railway centre, with no less than three railway stations...
, County Sligo, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
. His father (d. 1777) was also called Dr. Bryan Higgins. Higgins entered the University of Leiden in 1765, from whence he qualified as a doctor of physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
. He subsequently ran a School of Practical Chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
at 13 Greek Street, Soho
Soho
Soho is an area of the City of Westminster and part of the West End of London. Long established as an entertainment district, for much of the 20th century Soho had a reputation for sex shops as well as night life and film industry. Since the early 1980s, the area has undergone considerable...
, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
during the 1770s, which was patronised by the then Duke of Northumberland
Duke of Northumberland
The Duke of Northumberland is a title in the peerage of Great Britain that has been created several times. Since the third creation in 1766, the title has belonged to the House of Percy , which held the title of Earl of Northumberland from 1377....
amongst others. He was more of a speculator than an experimenter, and published many works on chemistry and related disciplines. Joseph Priestly was an attendee of Higgins's lectures, but the two became enemies following a dispute over experiments on air (Priestly at the time was working on his six-volume tome Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air
Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air
Experiments and Observations on Different Kinds of Air is a six-volume work published by 18th-century British polymath Joseph Priestley which reports a series of his experiments on "airs" or gases, most notably his discovery of oxygen gas .-Airs:While working as a companion for Lord Shelburne,...
).
At some point between 1780 and 1790, Higgins visited Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg
Saint Petersburg is a city and a federal subject of Russia located on the Neva River at the head of the Gulf of Finland on the Baltic Sea...
at the favour of Catherine the Great, Empress of Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
. He returned to London in January 1794 to continue his lectures at the School of Practical Chemistry.
In 1779, Higgins obtained a patent
Patent
A patent is a form of intellectual property. It consists of a set of exclusive rights granted by a sovereign state to an inventor or their assignee for a limited period of time in exchange for the public disclosure of an invention....
for a cheap and durable cement
Cement
In the most general sense of the word, a cement is a binder, a substance that sets and hardens independently, and can bind other materials together. The word "cement" traces to the Romans, who used the term opus caementicium to describe masonry resembling modern concrete that was made from crushed...
, "...composed of sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
and lime
Calcium hydroxide
Calcium hydroxide, traditionally called slaked lime, is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula Ca2. It is a colourless crystal or white powder and is obtained when calcium oxide is mixed, or "slaked" with water. It has many names including hydrated lime, builders lime, slack lime, cal, or...
, and a certain proportion of bone-ashes
Bone ash
Bone ash is the white, powdery ash left from the burning of bones. It is primarily composed of calcium phosphate. It is commonly used in fertilizers, polishing compounds, and in making ceramics...
, the lime being slaked with lime water
Lime water
Limewater is the common name for saturated calcium hydroxide solution. It is sparsely soluble. Its chemical formula is Ca2. Since calcium hydroxide is only sparsely soluble, i.e. ca. 1.5 g per liter at 25 °C, there is no visible distinction to clear water. Attentive observers will notice a slightly...
instead of common water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
, and the mixture
Mixture
In chemistry, a mixture is a material system made up by two or more different substances which are mixed together but are not combined chemically...
made use of as rapidly as possible after being made".
In 1797, Higgins was hired by a public committee in Jamaica
Jamaica
Jamaica is an island nation of the Greater Antilles, in length, up to in width and 10,990 square kilometres in area. It is situated in the Caribbean Sea, about south of Cuba, and west of Hispaniola, the island harbouring the nation-states Haiti and the Dominican Republic...
for the improvement of the manufacture of Muscovado sugar and rum
Rum
Rum is a distilled alcoholic beverage made from sugarcane by-products such as molasses, or directly from sugarcane juice, by a process of fermentation and distillation. The distillate, a clear liquid, is then usually aged in oak barrels...
. He resided in Jamaica from 1797 to 1799.
Higgins died at his estate in Walford, Staffordshire
Staffordshire
Staffordshire is a landlocked county in the West Midlands region of England. For Eurostat purposes, the county is a NUTS 3 region and is one of four counties or unitary districts that comprise the "Shropshire and Staffordshire" NUTS 2 region. Part of the National Forest lies within its borders...
in 1820.
Published works
- Higgins, Bryan; (1776). A Philosophical Essay concerning LightLightLight or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
, vol i, London. - Higgins, Bryan; (1775 - 1776). Experiments on the Freezing of Sea Water, appended to the Hon. Duines Barrington's The probability of reaching the North PoleNorth PoleThe North Pole, also known as the Geographic North Pole or Terrestrial North Pole, is, subject to the caveats explained below, defined as the point in the northern hemisphere where the Earth's axis of rotation meets its surface...
, 4to, London. - Higgins, Bryan; (1780). Experiments and Observations made with the view of improving the Art of composing and applying calcareous Cements, and of preparing QuicklimeCalcium oxideCalcium oxide , commonly known as quicklime or burnt lime, is a widely used chemical compound. It is a white, caustic, alkaline crystalline solid at room temperature....
. Theory of these, and Specification of the Author’s cheap and durable Cement for Building, Incrustation, or StuccoingStuccoStucco or render is a material made of an aggregate, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as decorative coating for walls and ceilings and as a sculptural and artistic material in architecture...
, and artificial Stone, London. - Higgins, Bryan; (1786). Experiments and Observations relating to Acetous AcidAcetic acidAcetic acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula CH3CO2H . It is a colourless liquid that when undiluted is also called glacial acetic acid. Acetic acid is the main component of vinegar , and has a distinctive sour taste and pungent smell...
, fixable Air, Dense Inflammable Air, OilOilAn oil is any substance that is liquid at ambient temperatures and does not mix with water but may mix with other oils and organic solvents. This general definition includes vegetable oils, volatile essential oils, petrochemical oils, and synthetic oils....
s and FuelFuelFuel is any material that stores energy that can later be extracted to perform mechanical work in a controlled manner. Most fuels used by humans undergo combustion, a redox reaction in which a combustible substance releases energy after it ignites and reacts with the oxygen in the air...
, the Matter of FireFireFire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
and LightLightLight or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that is visible to the human eye, and is responsible for the sense of sight. Visible light has wavelength in a range from about 380 nanometres to about 740 nm, with a frequency range of about 405 THz to 790 THz...
, Metallic Reduction, CombustionCombustionCombustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
, FermentationFermentation (biochemistry)Fermentation is the process of extracting energy from the oxidation of organic compounds, such as carbohydrates, using an endogenous electron acceptor, which is usually an organic compound. In contrast, respiration is where electrons are donated to an exogenous electron acceptor, such as oxygen,...
, PutrefactionPutrefactionPutrefaction is one of seven stages in the decomposition of the body of a dead animal. It can be viewed, in broad terms, as the decomposition of proteins, in a process that results in the eventual breakdown of cohesion between tissues and the liquefaction of most organs.-Description:In terms of...
, RespirationCellular respirationCellular respiration is the set of the metabolic reactions and processes that take place in the cells of organisms to convert biochemical energy from nutrients into adenosine triphosphate , and then release waste products. The reactions involved in respiration are catabolic reactions that involve...
, and other subjects of Chemical Philosophy, 1 vol, London. - Higgins, Bryan; (1786). An analysis of the Tilbury alterative water at West Tilbury Hall, recently made at the instance of Mr. John Ellison, by Bryan Higgins, M.D. With an account of the remarkable and extraordinary cases of Mrs. Brown and Mrs. Nash, and of its efficacy in effecting their cure, London.
- Higgins, Bryan; (1788). Synopsis of the Medicinal Contents of the most noted Mineral Waters, analysed by Dr. Higgins at the instance of John Ellison, 8vo, London.
- Higgins, Bryan; (1795). Minutes of the Society for Philosophical Experiments and Conversations
- Higgins, Bryan; (1797 - 1800). Observations and Advices, 2pts., 8vo, St Jago se la Vega.