George Gerald Henderson

George Gerald Henderson (born January 30, 1862 in Glasgow , † September 22, 1942 ) was an English chemist and from 1919 to 1937 Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow .

Life

Henderson was born in Glasgow as the second son of the merchant George Henderson. Nothing in his early childhood or ancestry indicated a career in science. Nevertheless, he took up a degree in science, where the broad spectrum of mathematics , physics , chemistry, geology , botany and zoology awaited him, a degree that aimed more at a broad scientific education than a high degree of specialization. However, his versatility helped him to achieve special achievements, as he received awards in both chemistry and Greek . In 1881, Henderson graduated from Glasgow with honors in chemistry. His thesis dealt with the transformation of dolomite into serpentine .

Henderson realized that his Glasgow studies lacked the full scope of organic chemistry and physical chemistry . In a series of extended stays at the University of Leipzig, he added this important branch to his specialist knowledge. One of his teachers at this time was Johannes Wislicenus .

1884 followed the master's degree in Glasgow. In 1889 Henderson was appointed head of the chemistry department at Queen Margaret College, now Queen Margaret University in Musselburgh . During this time, Henderson played an important role in the acceptance of women who were then admitted to chemistry studies. Glasgow took on a leadership role in the education of female chemists in Scotland. In 1890 he received his doctorate in DSc from the University of Glasgow.

In 1892 he was appointed to succeed Dittmar as Freeland Professor at the Glasgow and West of Scotland Technical College, now the University of Strathclyde . Henderson kept some traditions such as quantitative analysis as the foundation of education. Gradually, he added lessons in organic and later also physical chemistry to the curriculum, so that gradually a teaching volume developed that was recognized as an efficient training program for chemistry even in recent times.

In Henderson's day, there were no entrance exams to study, and the quality of students varied widely. So Henderson had to find a means of combining the diverse needs of beginners with preparing examiners for the exam at London University. He mastered this task with flying colors and - unlike some of his colleagues - maintained discipline and respect among his students at all times. His lectures were elegant, with the beginning and the end orchestrated in such a way as to grab attention and arouse curiosity about the next lecture. His experiments were clearly structured, understandable and presented with effective routine, so that only a few could see how much practice and thought went into the preparation.

In 1903, Henderson published the first report on the subject that would stay with him for the rest of his scholarly life: the terpenes .

In 1919 Henderson was appointed Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glaswog and left West of Scotland College, having just had a major impact on the construction of a new building and new laboratories. In 1919 students streamed back to the universities from which the war had pulled them. Henderson helped returnees heal their broken careers. As dean of the faculty , he was also responsible for the administration of the university. In addition to these university obligations, Henderson had made himself available as President of the Society of Chemical Industry in 1914 and assumed the presidency of the Institute of Chemistry from 1924 to 1927. In 1931, the presidency of the Chemical Society followed after 46 years as a fellow.

As early as the 1970s, Henderson undertook the task of planning a modern chemical laboratory and supervising its construction for the second time. It was only when he considered this task complete that Henderson retired from the chair and teaching in 1937. In addition to well-known students such as Ian Heilbron , James Colquhoun Irvine , Alexander Robertson and Alexander Robertus Todd , many chemists around the world refer to the training they received under Henderson.

Henderson died on September 28, 1942, the same year his wife died.

Research interests

1989 Henderson published a paper with experiments on the oxidation of α-pinene with chromium (VI) oxide dichloride . In doing so, he touched an area which he would revisit ten years later, which would become his trademark, and which would dominate chemical research in Glasgow for 30 years.

Henderson's work dealt extensively with the chemistry of terpenes , sesquiterpenes, as well as the chemistry of natural rubber , the sap of the balata tree, and gutta-percha .

Honors

In 1916, Henderson was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 1938 Henderson was honored with an honorary doctorate (LLD) from the University of Glasgow. The Queen's University Belfast and the University of St Andrews honored Henderson with an honorary doctorate.

Fonts

items

Contributions to the chemistry of the terpenes. Part VII. Synthesis of a monocyclic terpene from thymol (with Maggie Millen Jeffs Sutherland, B.Sc.) in Journal of the Chemical Society, Vol. 97, 1910

Books

1899 An introduction to analytical chemistry
1919 Catalysis in industrial chemistry

About Henderson

The life and work of George Gerald Henderson; Ian Heilbron

Individual evidence

↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad James Colquhoun Irvine: George Gerald Henderson. (PDF) 1862 - 1942. In: Royal Society website. The Royal Society, pp. 490 - 496 , accessed November 14, 2018 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j George Henderson. In: University of Glasgow website. Retrieved November 14, 2018 .
↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Papers of George Gerald Henderson, 1862–1942, chemist, Regius Professor of Chemistry, 1919–1937, University of Glasgow, Scotland. In: Archives Hub website. Retrieved November 14, 2018 .
^ ^A ^b John Lionel Simonsen : George Gerald Henderson. (PDF) 1862 - 1942. In: Royal Society website. The Royal Society, pp. 496–502 , accessed November 15, 2018 .

personal data
SURNAME	Henderson, George Gerald
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Henderson, George G .; Henderson, George; Henderson, GG; Henderson, G.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	English organic chemist and university professor
DATE OF BIRTH	January 30, 1862
PLACE OF BIRTH	Glasgow , Scotland , United Kingdom
DATE OF DEATH	September 22, 1942

[RSCIrvine-1] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j ^k ^l ^m ⁿ ^o ^p ^q ^r ^s ^t ^u ^v ^w ^x ^y ^z ^aa ^ab ^ac ^ad James Colquhoun Irvine: George Gerald Henderson. (PDF) 1862 - 1942. In: Royal Society website. The Royal Society, pp. 490 - 496 , accessed November 14, 2018 .

[UoGStoryHenderson-2] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ ^j George Henderson. In: University of Glasgow website. Retrieved November 14, 2018 .

[Archive-3] ↑ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f ^g ^h ⁱ Papers of George Gerald Henderson, 1862–1942, chemist, Regius Professor of Chemistry, 1919–1937, University of Glasgow, Scotland. In: Archives Hub website. Retrieved November 14, 2018 .

[RSCSimonsen-4] A ^b John Lionel Simonsen : George Gerald Henderson. (PDF) 1862 - 1942. In: Royal Society website. The Royal Society, pp. 496–502 , accessed November 15, 2018 .