Martin Hans Boyè
Encyclopedia
Martin Hans Boyè was a Danish-American chemist.
Boyè was born in Copenhagen
, Denmark
on 6 December 1812, son of a chemist in charge of the works of the Royal Porcelain Manufactury. He attended the Copenhagen University and then the Polytechnic School, where he was taught by Johan Georg Forchhammer
, graduating with honors in 1835.
At the age of 24, in 1836, Boyè emigrated to New York
, and in 1837 moved to Philadelphia where he became a student of Robert Hare
.
In 1838 he was employed as a geologist in the New Jersey
geological survey under Henry Darwin Rogers
.
In 1839 the Journal of the Franklin Institute published an analysis of a specimen of iron ore from "Iron Mountain", Missouri
by Rogers and Boye.
In 1840 the same journal published a paper by Robert E. and Martin Boye on the determination of the presence of calcium using sulphuric acid.
In 1840 the American Journal of Science
contained an article on a new compound of platinum discovered by Rogers and his friend Boyè.
Boyè continued his studies of chemistry in the laboratory of James Curtis Booth
.
He received an MD degree in 1844 from the University of Pennsylvania, with a graduate thesis on "the Structure of the Nervous System".
He continued to assist Booth until 1845.
In 1847, Boyè invented a method of refining cottonseed oil, and later he entered into large-scale production of this oil for cooking and as an an ingredient in toilet soap.
His research included development of perchloric ether used as a smokeless gunpowder, analysis of feldspar, a treatise on the composition of water in the Schuykill River, an analysis of concretion from a horse's stomach, analysis of Chinese artificially colored tea, and an investigation of the Aurora Borealis.
Boyè was Chair of Chemistry in Central High, Philadelphia, from 1851 to 1859, when he resigned due to poor health.
He was a member of the American Philosophical Society
and the American Association of Geologists.
Boyè was born in Copenhagen
Copenhagen
Copenhagen is the capital and largest city of Denmark, with an urban population of 1,199,224 and a metropolitan population of 1,930,260 . With the completion of the transnational Øresund Bridge in 2000, Copenhagen has become the centre of the increasingly integrating Øresund Region...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
on 6 December 1812, son of a chemist in charge of the works of the Royal Porcelain Manufactury. He attended the Copenhagen University and then the Polytechnic School, where he was taught by Johan Georg Forchhammer
Johan Georg Forchhammer
Johan Georg Forchhammer was a Danish mineralogist and geologist.Forchhammer was born at Husum, Schleswig. After studying at the universities of Kiel and Copenhagen from 1815 to 1818, he joined Hans Christian Ørsted and Lauritz Esmarch in their mineralogical exploration of Bornholm, and took a...
, graduating with honors in 1835.
At the age of 24, in 1836, Boyè emigrated to New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and in 1837 moved to Philadelphia where he became a student of Robert Hare
Robert Hare (chemist)
Robert Hare was an early American chemist.Hare was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on January 17, 1781. He developed and experimented with the oxy-hydrogen blowpipe, with Edward Daniel Clarke of Oxford, shortly after 1800. He married Harriett Clark and had six children...
.
In 1838 he was employed as a geologist in the New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
geological survey under Henry Darwin Rogers
Henry Darwin Rogers
Henry Darwin Rogers FRS FRSE was an American geologist.-Biography:Rogers was born at Philadelphia. His middle name was given him in honor of Erasmus Darwin, of whose poem “The Botanic Garden” his father was a great admirer...
.
In 1839 the Journal of the Franklin Institute published an analysis of a specimen of iron ore from "Iron Mountain", Missouri
Missouri
Missouri is a US state located in the Midwestern United States, bordered by Iowa, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Kansas and Nebraska. With a 2010 population of 5,988,927, Missouri is the 18th most populous state in the nation and the fifth most populous in the Midwest. It...
by Rogers and Boye.
In 1840 the same journal published a paper by Robert E. and Martin Boye on the determination of the presence of calcium using sulphuric acid.
In 1840 the American Journal of Science
American Journal of Science
The American Journal of Science is the United States of America's longest-running scientific journal, having been published continuously since its conception in 1818 by Professor Benjamin Silliman, who edited and financed it himself...
contained an article on a new compound of platinum discovered by Rogers and his friend Boyè.
Boyè continued his studies of chemistry in the laboratory of James Curtis Booth
James Curtis Booth
James Curtis Booth was a United States chemist who was the melter and refiner at the U.S. Mint in Philadelphia for many years.-Life:Booth was born in Philadelphia on 28 July 1810, and was educated at the Hartsville Seminary....
.
He received an MD degree in 1844 from the University of Pennsylvania, with a graduate thesis on "the Structure of the Nervous System".
He continued to assist Booth until 1845.
In 1847, Boyè invented a method of refining cottonseed oil, and later he entered into large-scale production of this oil for cooking and as an an ingredient in toilet soap.
His research included development of perchloric ether used as a smokeless gunpowder, analysis of feldspar, a treatise on the composition of water in the Schuykill River, an analysis of concretion from a horse's stomach, analysis of Chinese artificially colored tea, and an investigation of the Aurora Borealis.
Boyè was Chair of Chemistry in Central High, Philadelphia, from 1851 to 1859, when he resigned due to poor health.
He was a member of the American Philosophical Society
American Philosophical Society
The American Philosophical Society, founded in 1743, and located in Philadelphia, Pa., is an eminent scholarly organization of international reputation, that promotes useful knowledge in the sciences and humanities through excellence in scholarly research, professional meetings, publications,...
and the American Association of Geologists.