Dr James Sheridan Muspratt FRSE FRSD (8 March 1821 – 3 February 1871) was an Irish-born

research Research is " creative and systematic work undertaken to increase the stock of knowledge". It involves the collection, organization and analysis of evidence to increase understanding of a topic, characterized by a particular attentiveness ...

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 t ...

and teacher. His most influential publication was his two-volume book ''Chemistry, Theoretical, Practical and Analytical as applied and relating to the Arts and Manufactures'' (1857–1860).

Life

James Sheridan Muspratt was born in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

and moved to

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a populat ...

with his parents when he was one year old. His father,

James Muspratt James Muspratt (12 August 1793 – 4 May 1886) was a British chemical manufacturer who was the first to make alkali by the Leblanc process on a large scale in the United Kingdom. Early life James Muspratt was born in Dublin of English parent ...

, was one of the biggest industrial chemicals manufacturers in the UK between 1825 and 1850. James Sheridan Muspratt attended private schools in

Bootle, Merseyside Bootle (pronounced ) is a town in the Metropolitan Borough of Sefton, Merseyside, England, which had a population of 51,394 in 2011; the wider Bootle (UK Parliament constituency), Parliamentary constituency had a population of 98,449. Histo ...

, and then went with tutors to travel on the

European continent Continental Europe or mainland Europe is the contiguous continent of Europe, excluding its surrounding islands. It can also be referred to ambiguously as the European continent, – which can conversely mean the whole of Europe – and, by ...

. Beginning in 1836, he studied chemistry under Thomas Graham at

Anderson's University The University of Strathclyde ( gd, Oilthigh Shrath Chluaidh) is a public research university located in Glasgow, Scotland. Founded in 1796 as the Andersonian Institute, it is Glasgow's second-oldest university, having received its royal chart ...

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

and then moved with Graham to

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

. In 1841, his father sent him to

Philadelphia Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, largest city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the List of United States cities by population, sixth-largest city i ...

to manage the Muspratt business interests there but these were unsuccessful. Muspratt's father had met and become friends with Justus von Liebig at a meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science and James Sheridan was sent to work with von Liebig at the

University of Giessen University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (german: Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is named after its most famous faculty member, Justus von ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

where he gained a PhD in 1845. James Sheridan Muspratt's own cited original research work includes a report on the sulphites (1845) and, with

August Wilhelm von Hofmann August Wilhelm von Hofmann (8 April 18185 May 1892) was a German chemist who made considerable contributions to organic chemistry. His research on aniline helped lay the basis of the aniline-dye industry, and his research on coal tar laid the g ...

, on the preparation of

toluidine There are three isomers of toluidine, which are organic compounds. These isomers are ''o''-toluidine, ''m''-toluidine, and ''p''-toluidine, with the prefixed letter abbreviating, respectively, ''ortho''; ''meta''; and ''para''. All three are ary ...

and nitraniline (1845–1846). In 1848, Muspratt founded the Liverpool College of Chemistry in a disused stable at the back of his house in Canning Street, Liverpool. Upon his father's retirement in 1857, he became a partner along with his brothers in his father's chemicals manufacturing business. But it was also in the late 1850s that he wrote the textbook ''Chemistry, Theoretical, Practical and Analytical as applied and relating to the Arts and Manufactures''. The German translation of this book by

Friedrich Stohmann Friedrich Karl Adolf Stohmann (25 April 1832 – 1 November 1897) was a German agricultural chemist. Biography He was born in Bremen and studied at Göttingen, where he became member of Burschenschaft Hannovera (fraternity), and London. He was T ...

was widely read in Germany, which was the leading nation in the field at the time. Muspratt also published translation into English of some German-language chemistry.

Family

Muspratt took an interest in theatre and helped to organise a visit to Liverpool of

Charles Dickens Charles John Huffam Dickens (; 7 February 1812 – 9 June 1870) was an English writer and social critic. He created some of the world's best-known fictional characters and is regarded by many as the greatest novelist of the Victorian e ...

's amateur company in 1847. Among the cast were the

American American(s) may refer to: * American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America" ** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America ** American ancestry, pe ...

actress Susan Webb Cushman. Muspratt married Susan in 1848 and they had three daughters. Susan died in 1859 and Muspratt remarried, to Ann Neal of

Rainhill Rainhill is a village and civil parish within the Metropolitan Borough of St Helens, in Merseyside, England. The population of the civil parish taken at the 2011 census was 10,853. Historically part of Lancashire, Rainhill was formerly a townsh ...

the following year. They had no children and Muspratt died at his home in

West Derby West Derby ( ) is an affluent suburb of Liverpool, England. It is located East of the city and is also a Liverpool City Council ward. At the 2011 Census, the population was 14,382. History West Derby Mentioned in the ''Domesday Book'', Wes ...

, Liverpool in 1871.

References

;Attribution {{DEFAULTSORT:Muspratt, James Sheridan 1821 births 1871 deaths British chemists People from County Dublin Alumni of the University of Strathclyde Alumni of University College London Scientists from Liverpool James Sheridan