Sir William Augustus Tilden (15 August 1842 – 11 December 1926) was a British

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 ...

. He discovered that

isoprene Isoprene, or 2-methyl-1,3-butadiene, is a common volatile organic compound with the formula CH2=C(CH3)−CH=CH2. In its pure form it is a colorless volatile liquid. Isoprene is an unsaturated hydrocarbon. It is produced by many plants and animals ...

could be made from

turpentine Turpentine (which is also called spirit of turpentine, oil of turpentine, terebenthene, terebinthine and (colloquially) turps) is a fluid obtained by the distillation of resin harvested from living trees, mainly pines. Mainly used as a special ...

. He was unable to turn this discovery into a way to make commercially viable

synthetic rubber A synthetic rubber is an artificial elastomer. They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts. About 32-million metric tons of rubbers are produced annually in the United States, and of that amount two thirds are synthetic. Synthetic rubbe ...

Life

Educated at Bedford Modern School, Tilden obtained a B Sc in 1868 and a D Sc in 1871, both from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

. From 1872 to 1880 he was Senior Teacher of Science at

Clifton College ''The spirit nourishes within'' , established = 160 years ago , closed = , type = Public schoolIndependent boarding and day school , religion = Christian , president = , head_label = Head of College , head ...

Bristol Bristol () is a city, ceremonial county and unitary authority in England. Situated on the River Avon, it is bordered by the ceremonial counties of Gloucestershire to the north and Somerset to the south. Bristol is the most populous city in ...

. From 1880 to 1894 he was Professor of Chemistry at

Mason College Mason Science College was a university college in Birmingham, England, and a predecessor college of Birmingham University. Founded in 1875 by industrialist and philanthropist Sir Josiah Mason, the college was incorporated into the University o ...

, (which later became the

University of Birmingham , mottoeng = Through efforts to heights , established = 1825 – Birmingham School of Medicine and Surgery1836 – Birmingham Royal School of Medicine and Surgery1843 – Queen's College1875 – Mason Science College1898 – Mason Univers ...

). From 1894 to his death he was at the Royal College of Science,

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

, being Professor of Chemistry to 1909, Dean from 1905 to 1909, and then Emeritus Professor. He became a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...

in 1880 and was Vice-President from 1904 to 1906. In 1908 he was awarded the Davy Medal of the Society. He was President of the Chemical Society from 1903 to 1905. The

Tilden Prize The Tilden Prize is an award that is made by the Royal Society of Chemistry for advances in chemistry. The award was established in 1939 and commemorates Sir William A. Tilden, a prominent British chemist. The prize runs annually with up to three ...

was named in his memory by the Society in 1939 and has been awarded annually (now by the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...

) to three younger members since then.Tilden Prize
Royal Society of Chemistry He held office in many other organisations, including the

British Association for the Advancement of Science The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...

, the Institute of Chemistry (renamed Royal Institute of Chemistry in 1885) and 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 ...

. He published ''Famous Chemists: the men and their work'' (George Routledge and Sons Ltd.) in 1921. His son, Philip Armstrong Tilden became a prominent architect.

References

External links

Biographical Database of the British Chemical Community, 1880–1970

Royal Society of Chemistry Tilden Prize
*
The Progress of Scientific Chemistry in Our Own Times, 1913

Famous Chemists: The Men and Their Work, 1921
{{DEFAULTSORT:Tilden, William A. 1842 births 1926 deaths Fellows of the Royal Society British chemists People educated at Bedford Modern School Alumni of the Royal College of Science Alumni of University of London Worldwide Alumni of the University of London Academics of the University of Birmingham