John Hall Gladstone

Dr. John Hall Gladstone FRS (7 March 1827 – 6 October 1902) was a British chemist.

Biography

He was born the son of John Gladstone, a wholesale draper in Hackney, London and was educated at University College, London and the Giessen University in Germany.

He became a chemical lecturer at St Thomas's Hospital in 1850 and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in June 1853, at the unusually young age of twenty-six. His candidature citation read: "The Author of several papers published by the Chemical Society; On Guncotton & Xyloidine; on the Products of the decomposition of the Chlorophosphuret of nitrogen, containing an account of the new acids - Azophosphoric and Deutazophosphoric acids; on iodine of nitrogen, &c. Distinguished for his acquaintance with the science of Chemistry".

From 1874–1877 he was Fullerian Professor of Chemistry at the Royal Institution and President of the Physical Society from 1874–1876. From 1877–1879 he was President of the Chemical Society. He undertook pioneering work in optics and spectroscopy. Today, his best known work is his publication treating the bromination of rubber. This work inspired the rubber chemist Samuel S. Pickles.

He was awarded the Royal Society Davy Medal in 1897 for "For his numerous contributions to chemical science, and especially for his important work in the application of optical methods to chemistry".

He was an active supporter of the Young Men's Christian......
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