Bull. Hist. Chem. 2 (1998) 1 1995 DEXTER AWARD ADDRESS THE CHEMICAL ORIGINS OF PRACTICAL PHYSICS Wll . r, Unvrt f tr I hld l t thn th xtr Crprtn ll In ft, n hlr hv pntd t drn th Chr nd br f th xtr Ard C th lt dd r , th dpln f ph tt, bth prnt nd bnt, fr th hnr. I fl n t td nl rd t lt n th nntnth prd t jn th rtr f ln ln f dtnhd ntr, rfltd b th ft tht bth th rth nd htrn trtn th lph Opr n 6 nd t pll rn t jn th lt f n UK hldr f th hnr tht bn th hn d nd h n ldd h lltr n l MK, J. rtntn, ph dh, nd r rntl h frnd rvr Wll, M. Crlnd, brt Andrn, nd Cln ll. h ltr ddtd t th r f th lt Sdn Edltn. Aprt fr rt nd , ht dtnh n, dn, nd nnrn fr ll thr fr f vtnl trnn th lbrtrrhp l tn n hh t t pl. In th ppr I l t th rltn btn nntnthntr ph nd h tr nd ndr th dvlpnt f prtl ph thn n th UK nd USA. I hv tn tt rr ttrbtd t nn b Sr nr : "En Chr dr n hr t, t r nht" — ht h nt l pht n ht (. Althh drn ph t ht ll ntr th nfrtn tht h tr rl prt f ph, ht ll pt t n th prt tht nn ntndd, nl tht h t hld b ntrl phlphr th brdr pr William H. Brock ptv nd nd thn tht f r nlt h t xpln phl ll hl prprt, rnh hl St r fndd n th 80 nd t d tht th t nd rp nd th prn (2. fr thn, ph (r, trtl pn, prt pl f tht nd ph. l ph ppd t thtl ph hh 2 ll. t. Ch. 2 (8 dd hv t n tn vr h prt f h rn f th ph lbrtr — fr undergradu- tr, rl nntnthntr txtb nfr. ates and certificated students ppd t lbr h lt 86, th xtn ntnt f hn Crll tr p l hn n Gl nd Mxll rh hrtlvd Laboratory rfr ll t h t Cbrd n hh dvnd (ptrdt tdnt l p, nt phl n. r nrd t hlp prfr th rrh t nthr , th pndrbl bd f ht, prbl (6. h pnr hr r ndbtdl t lht nd ltrt rnd prt f htr ntl b frr ht, Gr Cr tr nd rdr d thn th npt f nr nd ltrn Gthr, th n t Unvrt Cll ndn, th thr t n th 80 nd 860. It nt rprn, thr t th l Shl f Mn (r rl Shl f S fr, tht n nntnthntr ht h n t b n Sth Knntn. nd h pltl flld nn ltr phr n thr r dd th t n trn d fr prn rr n rh tvt, hn n fr r ltr dplnr rn htr fr nrtn n n ph th prptv f ph, r l pht thn n? t xn h n n trn nd l fr n ht. rd th t bv , nd thr n thrd. l AndréMr Apr, nr nlt, Gtv Mn, nd h Andr l prn t nd. GEOGE CAEY OSE (8 ( ll nn r th f ht h x pltd thr prtl lbrtr ll t rt th A h, nrv n nd n f nhr l n prr n ph t th vr t hn th b prntr, tr ndbtdl d dbt fr h rr jt rn n tn dpln n th t th rt thrtl ht f th 840 nd 80, 80. A Gr Cr tr rnd n 4, "th Alxndr Wll Wlln, th h tr td trnfrtn ..., fr ht nt pht d htr bfr brfl tn h prnl frl n phnnn...(" h prn tnt fr 8 t 88. In 88 Wlln pd pll bt t f th httrnd pht. tr ff t th ntnnt t td th Klé t Ghnt, th 60 nd 0, th 860 nd 80 r l n n r (nfntl rfr f xpr ldn fr n lbrtr nd d bld ntl ph t th Srbnn h h ntr n n Grt rtn (4. In 866 Cr tr bn t td n ltrl prbl, nd th n rvtdznt, th prtl ph t Unvrt Cll — t b fl Gr Qn, t dlbr — ppl f nn h ld thr r ltr b W. G. Ad t rvl Kn t pnd lft dvtd t rn nd l Cll. tn 8 nd 84 th Cvndh ph ltn dt n th prprt nd ntnt f trl l lbrtr pnd t th Unvrt f C (8. brd, th fttn dnd b Clr Mxll r th xprn tr rtrnd t rtn bd pn th xprn f th Clrndn lbrtr n 860 nt nl au fait th Klé trtrl thr, t Oxfrd nd f Wll hn lbrtr t bt th dft hnd n rnh nd Grn xprn Gl. In 84 lbrtr r pnd t th n tl ph. tn 8 nd 86 fnd tr l vl Cll t Grnh, nd n ll ddrn th rth Atn n rn nn r pnd t rtl nd d. In 88 Alfrd ltr (..,h rndd th tr l t n Wtrh th Unvrt Cll pnd n dt dffrn f H2 n rbn r, n th nl vrpl, th t xtrrdnr trd hl lb f Grhrdt homologous fr dffrn f C 2, rtr dnd b Cpbll rn Shffld nd n "rnt prr n rn htr." l rpndd th rth Cll n 8 nd th dd rt p h Ghnt r th Klé n hppr nd ndd n 880 th th pnn f Mn Cll n ppr d. On h rtrn Wlln hd fnd rnh nd th bnnn f th n Ct & Gld ptn fr tr n th prvt ndn lbrtr f f ndn Inttt bt bldn prr fr At Mtthn (nthr ppl f nn h thnl dtn — pltd n 884 nbr rtd t rtn n 8 hr tr prdd hnl Cll n th t f ndn nd n 88, t thnll xllnt r n th ntttn f th l Sth Knntn, th Wtrh lnt Qn ld nrtn. Anntl Cntrl Intttn (. Mnhl, n 862, n d t Wlln nd A pld, lthh th bl f th bldn t h Stth ntt, tr ppntd t hr tvt dvtd t pnn lrr nd bttr fl t Andrn Cll n Gl, nt hvr n h ttd htr lbrtr, th dd l th tr, bt n ntrl phlph. rfr, thrfr, tr bltd t ltr n th pt f ph ll. t. Ch. 2 (8 3 tht h bt n fr h trnn th Wlln Cll rtd th Cr tr h brtr tht ht, nd n nd Qn pht, dtrd n th 4 r, nd nld tht nl ht nd ltrt. h r bth bjt h hd trnd Enlnd nxt nrtn f pht tht h ntrbtd rtl n t nr Wtt Dictio- h Wll Artn, Olvr d, nd Abr nary of Chemistry n 86. (Indntll, h n f ln. tr rtrd n 88, nl t b d rn hv ntd th nfn f th pbltn hh pl (rvt f th Cll, hr h pld ldn hld b Wll Cr n th Chemical News rl n th nttn tht ld n 00 t th rnt n t pltn n fv vl n 868 "th rt ttn f th Unvrt f ndn bth thn t r hh Énlnd h vr prdd n h nd xnn bd. tr, [ndd] n f th rtt h h prdd n On ppl rlld (: n bjt (?" nrv nnr prvntd Cr tr vr b Whl tr n Stlnd, nd bldn n th n d ltrr, nd h flr n th rpt b f th ntrdtn f th S dr thn n d, n ddtn, t nntn tht d dn Unvrt, Wlln nd thr nr prfr t dfflt fr h t b ntnt th pl tt t Unvrt Cll prdd th drpt rfr nt tht h n t b nl n pprxt xpr f trl hlph, njn ttr, t t rl n f trth, nd t th t d h rl rtrnt. h trl hlph hr thn d tnt t dpt th tr thd f lltrtn vdd nt hr f thtl ph (rdd t phl l b th f pl, lthh ntrl th tr, h Arhr rt nd xprntl nr, xprntl dt. In pl f th, h ph, hh nt t tr n Otbr 86. A Kth lltrtn ld ftn nt f th tl rlt f lbrtr rnt, nd th nr t r h ntd n rvrd th (0, t th t, n dnt, nl th r f rthr xptnl tp, 86, Wlln htr llb, hh hd hth r pt t l bth ttntn nd ntrt n th d rt ntnd d dl f lntr ht, ltr tl f lbr pttn. t, nd pt, n b lt pltl h l b th bjt r n t b tht b ptn n hn tdnt h t ndt thr tr. h f thn ph prtl fr xprnt ftn nvlvd h tn vr pltl. htr hd bn n rtn bprdt f n hrtr nt nndl bt hrdl d dn ht fl pn t t n d p b Olvr d n th phr: " fr fr r rdd b th Unvrt f ndn. Cndn flnt, nd h nnt bt xprn tll, f r, h hn l rld vlbl hlf rrtl tht t h fld t xpr t fr th rpdl nrn nld f rn hlf t ll (4." htr tht ht l Wlln ntd t th (.