William Hodson Brock (born 1936) is 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 ...

and

science historian The history of science and technology (HST) is a field of history that examines the understanding of the natural world (science) and the ability to manipulate it (technology) at different points in time. This academic discipline also studies the c ...

. Brock was born in

Brighton Brighton () is a seaside resort and one of the two main areas of the City of Brighton and Hove in the county of East Sussex, England. It is located south of London. Archaeological evidence of settlement in the area dates back to the Bronze A ...

. He studied chemistry at

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

and the history and philosophy of science at the

University of Leicester , mottoeng = So that they may have life , established = , type = public research university , endowment = £20.0 million , budget = £326 million , chancellor = David Willetts , vice_chancellor = Nishan Canagarajah , head_labe ...

to become a lecturer on the subject. His earned a Ph.D. for his biography of the chemist

William Prout William Prout FRS (; 15 January 1785 – 9 April 1850) was an English chemist, physician, and natural theologian. He is remembered today mainly for what is called Prout's hypothesis. Biography Prout was born in Horton, Gloucestershire in 1 ...

which was expanded into the book, ''From Protyle to Proton: William Prout and the Nature of Matter, 1785–1985'' (1985). Brock remained at Leicester until he retired in 1998 as Emeritus Professor of History of Science. Brock has written biographies of famous chemists such as

Justus von Liebig Justus Freiherr von Liebig (12 May 1803 – 20 April 1873) was a German scientist who made major contributions to agricultural and biological chemistry, and is considered one of the principal founders of organic chemistry. As a professor at t ...

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 ...

and

William Crookes Sir William Crookes (; 17 June 1832 – 4 April 1919) was a British chemist and physicist who attended the Royal College of Chemistry, now part of Imperial College London, and worked on spectroscopy. He was a pioneer of vacuum tubes, inventing t ...

. In 1995, Brock received the

Dexter Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry The HIST Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry (2013-present) is given by the Division of the History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society (ACS). The award was originally known as the Dexter Award (1956-2001) and th ...

from the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all d ...

Publications

*''Justus von Liebig und August Wilhelm Hofmann in ihren Briefen (1841-1873)'' (1984) *''From Protyle to Proton: William Prout and the Nature of Matter, 1785-1985'' (1985) *''The Fontana History of Chemistry'' (1992) * ''The Norton History of Chemistry'' (1993) *''Science for All: Studies in the History of Victorian Science and Education'' (1996) *''William Crookes (1832-1919) and the Commercialization of Science'' (2008) *''The Case of the Poisonous Socks: Tales from Chemistry'' (2011)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Brock, William Hodson 1936 births British chemists British science writers Historians of science People from Brighton Living people