R O B E R T
B O Y L E
from
Claire Mc Lister
Founder of modern chemistry
Robert
Boyle (1627-1691) was born in Lismore Castle, Ireland. Boyle’s father, the Great
Earl, was one of the wealthiest men in the British Isles and insured that
Boyle, the youngest of 14 children, was educated in the finest possible manner.
When he was only 8 years old Boyle was sent to Eton and at the age of 14
he embarked on a grand tour of the continent with a tutor and his brother
Francis. He never married and following the death of his father,
Boyle, aged 41, returned to Ireland to live with his sister.
Boyle
was one of the most influential scientists and philosophers of the 17th
century. It was his dedication to
the idea of experimental proof that warranted him the title, Founder of modern chemistry. His
first major scientific report, The Spring
and Weight of the Air, was published in 1660 and described experiments using
a new vacuum pump, designed to work more efficiently previous pumps invented by
von Gueriote.
The
second edition of, The Spring and Weight
of the Air, published by Boyle in 1662, enunciated the pressure-volume
inverse relationship, familiar to every chemistry student as Boyle’s Law.
Although the experimental concept was derived by, Boyle, much of the work
involved in the experiment was carried out by his assistant, Robert
Hooke. Boyle worked closely
with Hooke and contributed to finding of Hooke’s
Law of Elasticity.
In The
Sceptical Chemist, published in 1661, Boyle discussed the idea of an element
and questioned the theory proposed by Greek philosopher and scientist, Aristotle,
that 4 elements – earth, air, fire and water – compose all matter.
He believed in transmutation of the elements and in 1676, reported to the
Royal Society on his attempts to change quicksilver to gold.
Boyle
was also the first to provide an operational method to distinguish between
acids, bases and salts.
Boyle
was one of the first members of a scientific organisation known as the Royal
Society of London, founded in 1662. In
1680 he was elected president of the Royal Society, but declined the position
because the required oath violated his religious principles. Boyle had very strong religious convictions.
At the age of 13, during a violent thunderstorm, he experienced a
religious conversion not unlike St. Paul. He
saw no conflict between his faith and his commitment to science.
Although Robert Boyle is renowned popularly for Boyle’s Law, he has also contributed significantly to the development of modern chemical thought.