James Walker (chemist)
Encyclopedia
Sir James Walker FRS (6 April 1863 – 6 May 1935) was a Scottish
chemist
.
Born in Dundee
, he was educated at the High School of Dundee
, and though had passed the entrance examination for the University of St Andrews
at sixteen, he instead went for three years to the flax
industry, entering the University of Edinburgh
in 1882, graduating B.Sc. in 1885 and D.Sc. in 1886. He then spent three years in Germany, working with Ludwig Claisen, Adolf von Baeyer
and Wilhelm Ostwald
. Following a Ph.D at the University of Leipzig
in 1889, he returned to Britain, working in Edinburgh and University College, London, before being appointed professor of chemistry at the University of Dundee
in 1894. In 1908 he returned to Edinburgh to succeed Alexander Crum Brown
as professor.
Walker's main research interest was in physical chemistry
. He investigated methods of electrolysis
in the synthesis of dicarboxylic acid
s, the dissociation constants
of acids and bases, and measured molecular weights by freezing point
depression. While he is personally credited with no truly major discoveries, his most important role was as a populariser of the new and controversial physical chemistry theories of Ostwald, van't Hoff
and Arrhenius
in the English speaking world. This he did through his 1890 translation of Ostwald's Grundriss der allgemeinen Chemie (Outlines of General Chemistry), and his own textbook Introduction to Physical Chemistry (1899), which became a set text in many British universities.
Walker was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1900, and was awarded a Davy Medal
in 1926.
Scottish people
The Scottish people , or Scots, are a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland. Historically they emerged from an amalgamation of the Picts and Gaels, incorporating neighbouring Britons to the south as well as invading Germanic peoples such as the Anglo-Saxons and the Norse.In modern use,...
chemist
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....
.
Born in Dundee
Dundee
Dundee is the fourth-largest city in Scotland and the 39th most populous settlement in the United Kingdom. It lies within the eastern central Lowlands on the north bank of the Firth of Tay, which feeds into the North Sea...
, he was educated at the High School of Dundee
High School of Dundee
The High School of Dundee is an independent, co-educational, day school in the city of Dundee, Scotland which provides both primary and secondary education to just over one thousand pupils...
, and though had passed the entrance examination for the University of St Andrews
University of St Andrews
The University of St Andrews, informally referred to as "St Andrews", is the oldest university in Scotland and the third oldest in the English-speaking world after Oxford and Cambridge. The university is situated in the town of St Andrews, Fife, on the east coast of Scotland. It was founded between...
at sixteen, he instead went for three years to the flax
Flax
Flax is a member of the genus Linum in the family Linaceae. It is native to the region extending from the eastern Mediterranean to India and was probably first domesticated in the Fertile Crescent...
industry, entering the University of Edinburgh
University of Edinburgh
The University of Edinburgh, founded in 1583, is a public research university located in Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The university is deeply embedded in the fabric of the city, with many of the buildings in the historic Old Town belonging to the university...
in 1882, graduating B.Sc. in 1885 and D.Sc. in 1886. He then spent three years in Germany, working with Ludwig Claisen, Adolf von Baeyer
Adolf von Baeyer
Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer was a German chemist who synthesized indigo, and was the 1905 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Born in Berlin, he initially studied mathematics and physics at Berlin University before moving to Heidelberg to study chemistry with Robert Bunsen...
and Wilhelm Ostwald
Wilhelm Ostwald
Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald was a Baltic German chemist. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1909 for his work on catalysis, chemical equilibria and reaction velocities...
. Following a Ph.D at the University of Leipzig
University of Leipzig
The University of Leipzig , located in Leipzig in the Free State of Saxony, Germany, is one of the oldest universities in the world and the second-oldest university in Germany...
in 1889, he returned to Britain, working in Edinburgh and University College, London, before being appointed professor of chemistry at the University of Dundee
University of Dundee
The University of Dundee is a university based in the city and Royal burgh of Dundee on eastern coast of the central Lowlands of Scotland and with a small number of institutions elsewhere....
in 1894. In 1908 he returned to Edinburgh to succeed Alexander Crum Brown
Alexander Crum Brown
Alexander Crum Brown FRSE FRS was a Scottish organic chemist.-Biography:Born in Edinburgh, the half-brother of the physician and essayist John Brown, he studied for five years at the Royal High School, succeeded by one year at Mill Hill School in London...
as professor.
Walker's main research interest was in physical chemistry
Physical chemistry
Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic, atomic, subatomic, and particulate phenomena in chemical systems in terms of physical laws and concepts...
. He investigated methods of electrolysis
Electrolysis
In chemistry and manufacturing, electrolysis is a method of using a direct electric current to drive an otherwise non-spontaneous chemical reaction...
in the synthesis of dicarboxylic acid
Dicarboxylic acid
Dicarboxylic acids are organic compounds that contain two carboxylic acid functional groups. In molecular formulae for dicarboxylic acids, these groups are often written as HOOC-R-COOH, where R may be an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, or aryl group...
s, the dissociation constants
Acid dissociation constant
An acid dissociation constant, Ka, is a quantitative measure of the strength of an acid in solution. It is the equilibrium constant for a chemical reaction known as dissociation in the context of acid-base reactions...
of acids and bases, and measured molecular weights by freezing point
Freezing Point
Freezing Point is a news journal in the People's Republic of China which has been the subject of controversy over its criticism of Communist Party officials and the sympathetic ear it lent to a Chinese historian who had criticized official history textbooks...
depression. While he is personally credited with no truly major discoveries, his most important role was as a populariser of the new and controversial physical chemistry theories of Ostwald, van't Hoff
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff
Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Jr. was a Dutch physical and organic chemist and the first winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry. He is best known for his discoveries in chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, osmotic pressure, and stereochemistry...
and Arrhenius
Svante Arrhenius
Svante August Arrhenius was a Swedish scientist, originally a physicist, but often referred to as a chemist, and one of the founders of the science of physical chemistry...
in the English speaking world. This he did through his 1890 translation of Ostwald's Grundriss der allgemeinen Chemie (Outlines of General Chemistry), and his own textbook Introduction to Physical Chemistry (1899), which became a set text in many British universities.
Walker was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1900, and was awarded a Davy Medal
Davy Medal
The Davy Medal is awarded by the Royal Society of London "for an outstandingly important recent discovery in any branch of chemistry". Named after Humphry Davy, the medal is awarded with a gift of £1000. The medal was first awarded in 1877 to Robert Wilhelm Bunsen and Gustav Robert Kirchhoff "for...
in 1926.