HIST 6 |
| James Young was a cabinet maker by training and despite any substantial formal education would through his chemical work change the nature of Western society in the nineteenth century.His early life was in many ways similar to Michael Faraday's: his Humphrey Davy was Thomas Graham and Young's Royal Institution was Anderson's College in Glasgow. Young was Graham's assistant in Glasgow from 1832-37 and moved to London when Graham became Professor of Chemistry at University College. In 1839 Young took up a position at the Muspratt alkali works near Liverpool, which was then followed by employment with Tennant, Crow & Co. in Manchester. During his time in Manchester, Young became interested in the properties and production of various types of products we associate with the petroleum industry. This paper will discusss Young's chemical contributions prior to his work on the production of hydrocarbons and then his work in this area. Finally it will assess the role of Young in the initiation of the American petroleum industry in 1859. |
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General Papers
8:45 AM-12:00 PM, Sunday, August 19, 2007 Seaport -- Plaza C, Oral
Division of the History of Chemistry |