Right. Another historical footnote. Don't expect me to wax poetic.
Sir James Dewar
For those who insist on cluttering the nomenclature, yes, there are other James Dewars. This one, however, is the one that matters for this discussion.
This article’s opening gambit, the lead section, feels… anemic. It’s trying to cram a universe into a thimble. It needs more substance, more of the grit that defines a life's work, not just a sterile summary. (September 2024)
Sir James Dewar FRS FRSE Born 20 September 1842 Kincardine-on-Forth, Scotland Died 27 March 1923 (aged 80) London, England Alma mater University of Edinburgh Known for • Cordite • Diffuse and Sharp series • Liquid oxygen • Solid oxygen • Liquid hydrogen • Solid hydrogen • Dewar flask • Dewar benzene
Awards • Hodgkins gold medal (1899) • Bakerian Medal (1901) • Lavoisier Medal (1904) • Rumford Medal (1894) • Matteucci Medal (1906) • Albert Medal (1908) • Davy Medal (1909) • Copley Medal (1916) • Franklin Medal (1919)
Scientific career Fields Physics, chemistry Institutions • Royal Institution • Peterhouse, Cambridge
Doctoral advisor Lord Playfair
Sir James Dewar, FRS FRSE (/ˈdjuːər/ DEW-ər; 20 September 1842 – 27 March 1923), was a Scottish chemist and physicist. The name Dewar is now synonymous with the ubiquitous vacuum flask, a testament to his practical genius. But to reduce him to that single, albeit brilliant, invention is to miss the profound depths of his investigations into the very nature of matter at its most extreme. He didn't just invent a container; he forged a tool for unlocking the secrets of gases pushed to their absolute limits, pursuing his research into the liquefaction of these elusive states. His fascination with the fundamental properties of matter extended to spectroscopy, where he spent over a quarter of a century meticulously dissecting atomic and molecular structures through light. It's a curious footnote that despite eight nominations for the Nobel Prize – five in Physics and three in Chemistry – the ultimate recognition eluded him. Perhaps the Nobel committee found his relentless pursuit of the frigid and the fundamental too… chilling.
Early Life
Born in Kincardine, a damp corner of Perthshire, in 1842, James Dewar was the youngest of six sons. His father, Thomas, was a vintner, a trade that perhaps instilled in him a certain appreciation for refinement, though young James would apply it to far colder substances. His early education at Kincardine Parish School and Dollar Academy was cut short by the premature death of his parents when he was just fifteen. This early brush with mortality might have forged the stoic resolve that characterized his life's work. He found his way to the University of Edinburgh, a place that would ignite his scientific curiosity under the tutelage of Lyon Playfair, who would later become Baron Playfair. Dewar became Playfair's trusted assistant, a position that hinted at the intellectual rigor and meticulousness that would define his career. His academic journey later took him to Ghent University, where he studied under the formidable August Kekulé, a man who had already sketched the foundational structure of organic chemistry.
Career
By 1875, Dewar had established himself sufficiently to be elected Jacksonian professor of natural experimental philosophy at the University of Cambridge, taking up residence at Peterhouse. This academic perch, however, was merely a stepping stone. It was at the prestigious Royal Institution in London that his true intellectual home was found. In 1877, he succeeded Dr. John Hall Gladstone as Fullerian Professor of Chemistry, a role that would become inextricably linked with his name. His influence extended beyond the lecture hall; he held leadership positions in various scientific societies, serving as President of the Society of Chemical Industry from 1887-88, the Chemical Society in 1897, and the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1902. His pragmatic mind also found application in public service, contributing to the Royal Commission investigating London's water supply and the Committee on Explosives. It was within the latter that he collaborated with Frederick Augustus Abel to forge cordite, a smokeless propellant that revolutionized military technology, a far cry from the delicate dance with frozen gases.
His early contributions to chemistry were significant, even if some theoretical detours proved less enduring. In 1867, he put forth several proposed formulas for benzene, which were published a couple of years later. One of these, though ultimately deemed incorrect for describing benzene itself and not particularly championed by Dewar, has a peculiar persistence, still occasionally referred to as Dewar benzene. It’s a reminder that even missteps can leave a mark. In 1869, his intellectual prowess was recognized by his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, a nod from his former mentor, Lyon Playfair.
Dewar's scientific interests were remarkably broad, spanning the intricacies of organic chemistry, the fundamental nature of Hydrogen and its physical constants, the challenges of high-temperature research, the spectral signatures of the Sun and the electric spark, the nuanced field of spectrophotometry, and the reactive chemistry of the electric arc.
He wasn't a solitary figure, though his intensity might suggest otherwise. He collaborated with Professor J. G. McKendrick of the University of Glasgow to probe the physiological effects of light and to understand the subtle electrical shifts within the retina under its influence. A prolonged and fruitful collaboration with Professor G. D. Liveing at Cambridge, beginning in 1878, delved into the realm of spectroscopy. Their later work focused on the spectral analysis of various gaseous elements, painstakingly isolated from atmospheric air at incredibly low temperatures. He also partnered with Professor J. A. Fleming from University College London to investigate the electrical behavior of substances subjected to extreme cold.
However, it is his pioneering work on the liquefaction of the so-called permanent gases and his relentless exploration of temperatures approaching absolute zero that cemented his legacy. This fascination began as early as 1874, when he presented his thoughts on the "Latent Heat of Liquid Gases" to the British Association. By 1878, he was captivating audiences at the Royal Institution with lectures on the groundbreaking work of Louis Paul Cailletet and Raoul Pictet, even demonstrating the Cailletet apparatus for the first time in Britain. Six years later, he was once again at the Royal Institution, discussing the research of Zygmunt Florenty Wróblewski and Karol Olszewski, and publicly exhibiting the liquefaction of oxygen and air. He didn't stop there; he soon constructed a machine that could dispense liquid oxygen for use as a coolant, even managing to obtain oxygen in its solid state.
The iconic Dewar flask, or vacuum flask, emerged from this relentless pursuit. Conceived around 1892, this ingenious vessel, designed to minimize heat transfer through a vacuum jacket, revolutionized the storage of cryogenic liquids. It allowed for the preservation of liquids for extended periods without refrigeration, opening new avenues for studying their optical properties. It’s a bitter irony that Dewar, the inventor of this household staple, reaped no financial reward. He lost a patent dispute with Thermos, a legal battle that underscored the harsh realities of intellectual property and innovation. His invention was recognized, but his ownership was not, a stark reminder that being right doesn't always mean winning.
His ambition then turned to liquid hydrogen. Using a high-pressure hydrogen jet and the Joule–Thomson effect, he achieved unprecedented low temperatures, leading him to construct a large regenerative cooling machine at the Royal Institution. In 1898, this machine yielded the first collection of liquid hydrogen, followed by solid hydrogen in 1899. The final frontier, helium, proved elusive. While he attempted its liquefaction, ultimately falling short, it was Heike Kamerlingh Onnes who achieved it in 1908. Onnes, who would later be lauded with the Nobel Prize in Physics for his low-temperature research, stands as a poignant counterpoint to Dewar's own unfulfilled Nobel aspirations.
In 1905, Dewar and J. A. Fleming turned their attention to the remarkable gas-absorbing properties of charcoal at low temperatures, leveraging his expertise in creating high vacuums for further excursions into atomic physics. His dedicated research into the behavior of elements at cryogenic temperatures, particularly in calorimetry, continued until the outbreak of World War I. The war effort drained the Royal Institution of its researchers, and the post-war landscape offered little incentive for Dewar to resume his intense investigations. The scarcity of promising young minds only exacerbated the situation. His later years saw a shift in focus, with work on surface tension in soap bubbles and the detection of infrared radiation. The icy depths of cryogenics held less allure than the ephemeral nature of a bubble.
Later Life
Sir James Dewar breathed his last on 27 March 1923, at the age of 80. His final resting place was the Golders Green Crematorium in London, where an urn containing his ashes remains.
Family
In 1871, he married Helen Rose Banks. Their union, while childless, was a partnership of substance. Helen was related to notable figures like Charles Dickson, Lord Dickson and James Douglas Hamilton Dickson. Dewar’s nephew, Dr. Thomas William Dewar, a man with a penchant for art, even captured his uncle’s likeness in a portrait. This nephew also played a role in settling Dewar’s estate, though his wife ultimately took precedence.
Royal Institution Christmas Lectures
Dewar possessed a rare talent for translating complex science into accessible narratives, a skill showcased in his numerous Royal Institution Christmas Lectures:
- A Soap Bubble (1878)
- Atoms (1880)
- Alchemy in Relation to Modern Science (1883)
- The Story of a Meteorite (1885)
- The Chemistry of Light and Photography (1886)
- Clouds and Cloudland (1888)
- Frost and Fire (1890)
- Air: Gaseous and Liquid (1893)
- Christmas Lecture Epilogues (1912)
Honours and Awards
While the Nobel committee remained conspicuously silent, Dewar was not without recognition. The Royal Society acknowledged his brilliance, electing him a Fellow in June 1877 and bestowing upon him their prestigious Rumford Medal (1894), Davy Medal (1909), and Copley Medal (1916). He was also invited to deliver their esteemed Bakerian Lecture in 1901. In 1899, he achieved another first, becoming the inaugural recipient of the Hodgkins gold medal from the Smithsonian Institution for his groundbreaking work on atmospheric air. His international acclaim was further solidified by his election to the American Philosophical Society in 1899 and the United States National Academy of Sciences in 1907.
His presidency of the Society of Chemical Industry from 1887-88 marked him as a leader in his field. France recognized his contributions in 1904 with the Lavoisier Medal from the French Academy of Sciences, and Italy followed suit in 1906 with the Matteucci Medal. He was knighted in 1904 and received the Gunning Victoria Jubilee Prize from the Royal Society of Edinburgh. His achievements were even etched in the cosmos, with a lunar crater bearing his name. A street within the Kings Buildings complex at the University of Edinburgh now stands as a permanent reminder of his legacy.
Character
Dewar's reputation for a formidable temper was well-earned. He was, by many accounts, "ruthless," especially when it came to his colleagues, a trait that Sir J. S. Rowlinson eloquently described in his biography, "Sir James Dewar, 1842–1923: A Ruthless Chemist." This intensity, while perhaps alienating to some, was the fuel that drove his extraordinary scientific endeavors.
Selected Publications
- George Downing Liveing; James Dewar (1915). Collected Papers on Spectroscopy. University press.
- Pippard, Brian. 1993. "Siegfried Ruhemann (1859–1943), F.R.S. 1914–1923." Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London 47 (2): 271–76.
- Rowlinson, Sir J. S. 2012. Sir James Dewar, 1842–1923: A Ruthless Chemist. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.