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Young World
THE GREAT ONES
Robert Boyle
V.K. SUBRAMANIAN
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Robert Boyle (1627 – 1691) was both a physicist and a chemist.
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Illustration: .VK. SUBRAMANIAN
The scientific achievements of Robert Boyle, the Irish scientist who spent most of his time in Oxford, England, are remarkable. He was both a physicist and chemist. He formulated the famous Boyle’s law (known to every school or college student) that for gases, the volume and pressure are inversely proportional to each other, at constant temperature. He introduced the experimental approach to science. He perfected the air pump.
In chemistry, he introduced the modern concept of elements as primary particles, which combine to form compounds.
He researched into calcination of metals, properties of acids and alkalies, specific gravity, crystallography and refraction and first prepared phosphorus. Despite discovering so much, he lamented that he knew so little!
His contribution
Robert Boyle was born at Lismore castle, Ireland on January 25, 1627, as the 14th child of his parents. He studied in Eton, travelled through Europe and finally settled down in Oxford, England. Boyle remained a bachelor.
He was deeply religious. He died on December 31, 1691, in London.
Some consider Robert Boyle to be “The Father of modern Chemistry”.Others call him “the catalyst of chemical revolution”. In the pantheon of modern science, he is ranked below Bacon, Galileo and Isaac Newton.
But such a ranking is meaningless. Each scientist’s contribution is invaluable in itself and Robert Boyle’s contributions to physics and chemistry are unique and unparalleled.
This is an extract from the book The Great Ones by V.K.Subramanian, Abhinav Publications, New Delhi
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