Robert Robertson (chemist)
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Robertson KBE FRS (1869 — 1949) was a Scottish
chemist
who was HM Government's Government Chemist between 1921 and 1936. He was the first person to establish that two types of natural diamond
existed.
Robert Robertson was born in Cupar
, Fife
and educated at Bell Baxter High School
. After leaving school he attended St. Andrews University, where he graduated in both Arts and Science. The same institution would later award him an honorary LLD. After leaving university he was appointed assistant in the laboratory of the city analyst in Glasgow
. He later obtained the post of analyst in the Royal Gunpowder Factory at Waltham Abbey
. His work as Director of Explosives Research during the Great War was recognised with the award of a KBE. He was also honoured with his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1917. In 1921 he became Chief Government Chemist, a post held until his retirement in 1936.
In 1922 he was elected President of the Faraday Society
, in 1924 President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
, and from 1925 to 1927 he was a council member of the Royal Society of London
. In 1944, he was awarded the Royal Society's Davy Medal
"[i]n recognition of his researches on explosives, analytical methods, the internal structure of diamond, and infra-red absorption spectra".
Sir Robert Robertson's archives are held by Archive Services, University of Dundee
.
Sir Robert Robertson FRS should not be confused with Sir Robert Robinson OM, PRS, FRSE, the Oxford Nobel Laureate, the subject of a separate Wikipedia entry.
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
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
who was HM Government's Government Chemist between 1921 and 1936. He was the first person to establish that two types of natural diamond
Diamond
In mineralogy, diamond is an allotrope of carbon, where the carbon atoms are arranged in a variation of the face-centered cubic crystal structure called a diamond lattice. Diamond is less stable than graphite, but the conversion rate from diamond to graphite is negligible at ambient conditions...
existed.
Robert Robertson was born in Cupar
Cupar
Cupar is a town and former royal burgh in Fife, Scotland. The town is situated between Dundee and the New Town of Glenrothes.According to a recent population estimate , Cupar had a population around 8,980 making the town the ninth largest settlement in Fife.-History:The town is believed to have...
, Fife
Fife
Fife is a council area and former county of Scotland. It is situated between the Firth of Tay and the Firth of Forth, with inland boundaries to Perth and Kinross and Clackmannanshire...
and educated at Bell Baxter High School
Bell Baxter High School
Bell Baxter High School is a non-denominational comprehensive state school for 11-18 year olds in Cupar, Fife, Scotland.-School history:Bell Baxter High School was descended from the Cupar Grammar School and was founded in 1889 when the Madras Academy combined with the Sir David Baxter's Institute...
. After leaving school he attended St. Andrews University, where he graduated in both Arts and Science. The same institution would later award him an honorary LLD. After leaving university he was appointed assistant in the laboratory of the city analyst in Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
. He later obtained the post of analyst in the Royal Gunpowder Factory at Waltham Abbey
Waltham Abbey, Essex
Waltham Abbey is a market town of about 20,400 people in the south west of the county of Essex, in the East of England region. It is about 24 km north of London on the Greenwich Meridian and lies between the River Lea in the west and Epping Forest in the east. It takes its name from The Abbey...
. His work as Director of Explosives Research during the Great War was recognised with the award of a KBE. He was also honoured with his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1917. In 1921 he became Chief Government Chemist, a post held until his retirement in 1936.
In 1922 he was elected President of the Faraday Society
Faraday Society
The Faraday Society was a British society for the study of physical chemistry, founded in 1903 and named in honour of Michael Faraday. It merged with several similar organisations in 1980 to form the Royal Society of Chemistry...
, in 1924 President of the British Association for the Advancement of Science
British Association for the Advancement of Science
frame|right|"The BA" logoThe British Association for the Advancement of Science or the British Science Association, formerly known as the BA, is a learned society with the object of promoting science, directing general attention to scientific matters, and facilitating interaction between...
, and from 1925 to 1927 he was a council member of the Royal Society of London
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
. In 1944, he was awarded the Royal Society's 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...
"[i]n recognition of his researches on explosives, analytical methods, the internal structure of diamond, and infra-red absorption spectra".
Sir Robert Robertson's archives are held by Archive Services, 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....
.
Sir Robert Robertson FRS should not be confused with Sir Robert Robinson OM, PRS, FRSE, the Oxford Nobel Laureate, the subject of a separate Wikipedia entry.