Ivan Levinstein (1845-1916) was a

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-born

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chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe th ...

who pioneered the manufacture of synthetic

dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution an ...

s and helped develop the British chemical industry in the late nineteenth century. He was born in

Charlottenburg Charlottenburg () is a Boroughs and localities of Berlin, locality of Berlin within the borough of Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf. Established as a German town law, town in 1705 and named after Sophia Charlotte of Hanover, Queen consort of Kingdom ...

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, the son of a

Berlin Berlin ( , ) is the capital and largest city of Germany by both area and population. Its 3.7 million inhabitants make it the European Union's most populous city, according to population within city limits. One of Germany's sixteen constitue ...

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manufacturer, studied

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

at the Gewerbeinstitut, which later became the

Technical University of Berlin The Technical University of Berlin (official name both in English and german: link=no, Technische Universität Berlin, also known as TU Berlin and Berlin Institute of Technology) is a public research university located in Berlin, Germany. It was ...

, before joining the family business. He obtained his first patent in Germany in 1863 for improvements in manufacturing coal tar dyes. In 1864 he moved to

Blackley Blackley is a suburban area of Manchester, England. Historically in Lancashire, it is approximately north of Manchester city centre, on the River Irk. History The hamlet of Blackley was mentioned in the Domesday Book. The name derives from t ...

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to start his own chemical manufacturing business. As the business grew it moved to larger premises in

Crumpsall Crumpsall is an outer suburb and Wards of the United Kingdom, electoral ward of Manchester, England, north of Manchester city centre, bordered by Cheetham Hill, Blackley, Harpurhey, Broughton, Greater Manchester, Broughton, and Prestwich. The po ...

, Manchester, in 1887. He developed Rosaline, an artificial magenta dye, Blackley blue dye, Manchester Brown and Manchester Yellow dyes and red azo dyes. He also acted as a spokesperson for the British chemical industry, expressing concerns about growing German competitiveness. He founded, in 1871, the Chemical Review, in 1881 was a founder of the Manchester Section of the

Society of Chemical Industry The Society of Chemical Industry (SCI) is a learned society set up in 1881 "to further the application of chemistry and related sciences for the public benefit". Offices The society's headquarters is in Belgrave Square, London. There are semi-in ...

, later following Henry Roscoe as Chair of the Section. He also served as President of the Society of Chemical Industry between 1901 and 1903 and was a founder member of the

Society of Dyers and Colourists The Society of Dyers and Colourists (SDC) is an international professional society, with headquarters in Bradford, West Yorkshire, UK, specializing in colour in all its manifestations. Founded in 1884, it was granted a Royal Charter of Incorporation ...

in 1884.https://www.soci.org/about-us/history/notable-scientists-and-inventors Society of Chemical Industry: notable-scientists-and-inventors - Ivan Levinstein

References

Other sources

Wyler, M. (1937) Ivan Levinstein - What I Know of Him (Manchester, 1937), reprinted in ''Journal of the Society of Dyers and Colourists'', SS (1939), 142-146. {{DEFAULTSORT:Levinstein, Ivan 1845 births 1916 deaths People from Charlottenburg Scientists from Berlin 19th-century British chemists 19th-century German chemists 20th-century German chemists 20th-century British chemists German emigrants to the United Kingdom