Bryan Higgins facts for kids

Bryan Higgins (born 1741 – died 1818) was an important Irish scientist. He was especially good at chemistry and natural philosophy, which is like studying how the world works.

He was born in Collooney, a town in County Sligo, Ireland. His father was also a doctor named Bryan Higgins. In 1765, Bryan Higgins went to the University of Leiden in the Netherlands. There, he became a doctor of physics.

A School for Chemistry

In the 1770s, Bryan Higgins ran his own school in London. It was called the School of Practical Chemistry. Here, he taught people about chemistry. Even important people like the Duke of Northumberland supported his school.

Higgins was very good at thinking up new ideas in science. He wrote many books about chemistry and other related subjects. A famous scientist named Joseph Priestley attended Higgins's lectures. However, they later disagreed about experiments on air. Priestley was writing a big book about different kinds of air at the time.

Travels and Inventions

Sometime between 1780 and 1790, Higgins visited Saint Petersburg, Russia. He went there because Catherine the Great, who was the Empress of Russia, invited him. He returned to London in 1794 to continue teaching at his chemistry school.

In 1779, Higgins got a special patent for a new kind of cement. This cement was cheap and strong. It was made from sand, lime, and a bit of bone-ashes. The lime was mixed with limewater instead of regular water. This made the cement very effective.

In 1797, a group in Jamaica hired Higgins. They wanted him to help improve how they made muscovado (a type of sugar) and rum. He lived in Jamaica for two years, from 1797 to 1799.

Ideas About Atoms

Bryan Higgins had his own ideas about atomic theory. He thought that tiny central particles were surrounded by something called "caloric." This idea was similar to the thoughts of another famous scientist, John Dalton. Some people believe that Dalton knew about Higgins's ideas and was influenced by them. However, Dalton never said that Higgins's ideas helped him.

Bryan Higgins passed away in 1818. He died at his home in Walford, Staffordshire, England.

His Writings

Bryan Higgins wrote several books and papers about his scientific work. Here are a few examples:

• Higgins, Bryan; (1776). A Philosophical Essay concerning Light, London.
• Higgins, Bryan; (1780). Experiments and Observations made with the view of improving the Art of composing and applying calcareous Cements..., London.
• Higgins, Bryan; (1786). Experiments and Observations relating to Acetous Acid... and other subjects of Chemical Philosophy, London.