How the invention of mauve changed the world
5/14/2001
Simon Garfield presents an engaging account of one of the most colorful stories in the history of science and technology. In 1856, William Perkin was an eighteen-year-old chemistry student at the Royal College of London. Working on a treatment for malaria, Perkin by chance discovered mauve dye in his attempts to synthesize quinine from coal tar. While Perkin is hardly remembered today, his discovery of the first artificial color derived from coal is significant for the far-reaching impact it has made on modern chemistry and its industrial applications. This fortuitous discovery has inspired remarkable advances in medicine, perfumery, textiles, food, explosives, and photography. In his telling of this story, Garfield celebrates Perkin's ingenuity, perseverance and extraordinary ability to see beyond the obvious.