Thomas Graham FRS (December
21, 1805 – September 16, 1869) was born in Glasgow, Scotland. Graham's
father was a successful textile manufacturer, and wanted
his son to enter into the Church of Scotland. Instead, defying his father's wishes,
Graham became a student at the University of Glasgow in 1819. There he developed a strong interest in
Graham also founded the Chemical Society of London in 1841.
His final postition was as the Master of the Mint, where he stayed for 15 years until his death. He was the last person to hold that position.
Scientific work
Thomas Graham is best known for two things:
1. His studies on the diffusion of gases resulted in "Graham's Law", which states that the rate of effusion of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its molar mass.
2. His discovery of dialysis, which is used in many medical facilities today, was the result
of Graham's study of colloids. This work resulted in Graham's ability to separate colloids and
crystalloids using a so-called "dialyzer", the precursor of today's dialysis machine. This study initiated the scientific field
known as colloid
Honours, activities, and recognition
- Fellow of the Royal Society (1836)
- First President of the Chemical Society of London (1841)
- Royal Medal of the Royal Society (1837 and 1863)
- Copley Medal of the Royal Society (1862)
- Prix Jecker of the Paris Academy of Sciences (1862)
- (Unofficial Honour) Statue of Graham in Glasgow ("given" in 1872)
- The University of Strathclyde, where Graham worked at one of its precursor institutions, has named the building housing the chemistry department after him.
- The headquarters of the Royal Society of Chemistry in Cambridge, UK is the Thomas Graham House.
External links
- Biography
- Obituary from Nature by A. W. Williamson
- Article on Thomas Graham's life and work by Colin Russell
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