Thomas Graham | |
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 Graham in 1856 | |
| Born | (1805-12-21)21 December 1805 Glasgow, Scotland |
| Died | 16 September 1869(1869-09-16) (aged 63) London, England |
| Alma mater | University of Glasgow University of Edinburgh |
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| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry |
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Thomas GrahamFRS FRSE DCL (20 December 1805[1][2] – 11 September 1869) was a Scottishchemist known for his pioneering work indialysis and thediffusion of gases. He is regarded as one of the founders ofcolloid chemistry.[3]
Graham was born inGlasgow, Scotland and was educated at theHigh School of Glasgow. Graham's father was a successful textile manufacturer, and wanted his son to enter into theChurch of Scotland. Instead, defying his father's wishes, Graham became a student at theUniversity of Glasgow in 1819. There he developed a strong interest inchemistry, studying underProfessor Thomas Thomson, who was impressed and influenced by the young man. He left the university after receiving his MA in 1824.[4]
He later studied medicine at theUniversity of Edinburgh and then briefly taught chemistry at theGlasgow University Portland Street Medical School. In 1828 he was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Edinburgh, his proposer was Edward Turner. He won the Society'sKeith Medal for the period 1831–33.[4]
in 1830 he was appointed to be the first professor of chemistry at theAnderson's Medical School, a post later named the Freeland Chair of Chemistry. He also delivered lectures to theGlasgow Mechanics' Institution before moving to take up a professorship at theUniversity of London,[5] where Graham founded theChemical Society of London in 1841. In 1866, he was elected a foreign member of theRoyal Swedish Academy of Sciences.
His final position was theMaster of the Mint, where he stayed from 1855 until his death. He was the last person to hold that position:[6] afterwards the post was amalgamated into theChancellor of the Exchequer while all the actual responsibilities were transferred to the Deputy Master.
He died inGordon Square in London but his body was returned to Glasgow for burial in the family plot atGlasgow Cathedral.[4]
![[icon]](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3aWiki_letter_w_cropped.svg) | This sectionneeds expansion with: further information, based on verifiable sources, elaborating on Graham's laws, and extending the information on Graham's contributions. You can help byadding to it.(July 2015) |
Thomas Graham is known for his studies on the behavior of gases, which resulted in his formulation of two relationships, both since becoming known as "Graham's laws," the first regarding gasdiffusion,[7] and the second regarding gaseffusion.[8] In the former case, Graham deduced that when measured repeatedly under the same conditions of pressure and temperature, the rate of diffusive mixing of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its density, and given the relationship betweendensity andmolar mass, also inversely proportional to the square root of itsmolar mass.[clarification needed][dubious –discuss] In the same way, in the latter case, regardingeffusion of a gas through a pin hole in to a vacuum, Graham deduced that the rate ofeffusion of a gas is inversely proportional to the square root of its molar mass. These two are sometimes referred to as a combined law (describing both phenomena).
In applied areas, Graham also made fundamental discoveries related todialysis, a process used in research and industrial settings, as well as in modern health care. Graham's study ofcolloids resulted in his ability to separate colloids and crystalloids using a so-called "dialyzer", using technology that is a rudimentary forerunner of technology in modernkidney dialysis machines. These studies were foundational in the field known ascolloidchemistry, and Graham is credited as one of its founders.[6]
He also proposed theassociation theory which claimed that the substances such ascellulose orstarch that we now know are polymers are composed from smaller molecules hold together by unknown forces. It remained the most popular explanation untilHermann Staudinger'smacromolecular theory of 1920s.
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| Preceded by | Master of the Mint 1855–1869 | Office abolished Robert Lowe asChancellor of the Exchequer |
