Robert Porrett facts for kids

Robert Porrett (1783–1868) was a smart English scientist and historian. He loved studying chemistry and old objects.

Who Was Robert Porrett?

Robert Porrett was born in London on September 22, 1783. His father worked at the famous Tower of London, looking after military supplies. Robert started working there too, helping his dad.

He began his job in 1795 and later became the head of his department. He worked there for a long time, retiring in 1850. His hard work was officially recognized when he left. Robert Porrett passed away on November 25, 1868. He never married.

What Did Robert Porrett Study?

Robert Porrett was a member of several important scientific groups. He became a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries of London in 1840. This society studies history and old things. In 1848, he also became a Fellow of the Royal Society, which is a very old and respected science group.

He was also a founding member of the Chemical Society and a member of the Royal Astronomical Society. This shows he had many different interests!

Robert was an expert on armour (like the suits of armor knights wore). He wrote several articles about it for history journals. He even encouraged a co-worker, John Hewitt, to study the armor collection at the Tower of London.

Robert Porrett's Chemistry Discoveries

Robert Porrett made some cool discoveries in chemistry.

Discovering New Acids

Around 1808, Porrett found a new acid. He mixed prussic acid with another chemical called sulphuretted hydrogen. He first called his new discovery "prussous acid." Today, we know it as thiocyanic acid (HSCN). He even won a medal for this work!

In 1814, he figured out what this new acid was made of. He showed it was a mix of prussic acid and sulfur. He called it "sulphuretted chyazic acid." Later, another chemist named Thomas Thomson called it "sulphocyanic acid."

Porrett also discovered ferrocyanic acid in 1814. He called it "ferruretted chyazic acid." He showed that iron was a key part of this acid. He also noticed that this acid could easily change when exposed to air, forming Prussian blue. This discovery was later used in dyeing fabrics.

Studying Flames

In 1817, Porrett wrote about how a candle flame works. He agreed with another famous scientist, Humphry Davy, that the light from a flame comes from tiny bits of carbon. These carbon bits are created when the fuel (like wax) breaks down in the heat.

Robert Porrett's Physics Discovery

In physics, Robert Porrett discovered something called electric endosmosis in 1814. This is a process where a liquid moves through a barrier when an electric current is applied. Another scientist had seen it before, but Porrett discovered it on his own. For a while, this phenomenon was even named after him in Germany!

Robert Porrett's Writings

Robert Porrett wrote many scientific papers about his discoveries. Here are some of them:

• In the Transactions of the Society of Arts:
  • ‘A Memoir on the Prussic Acid’ (1809)

• In Nicholson's Journal:
  • ‘On the Prussic and Prussous Acids’ (1810)
  • ‘On the Combination of Chlorine with Oil of Turpentine’ (1812)
  • ‘On the Explosive Compound of Chlorine and Azote’ (with R. Kirk and W. Wilson) (1813)

• In Philosophical Transactions:
  • ‘On the Nature of the Salts termed Triple Prussiates, and on Acids formed by the Union of certain Bodies with the Elements of Prussic Acid’ (1814)
  • ‘Further Analytical Data on the Constitution of Ferruretted Chyazic and Sulphuretted Chyazic Acids,’ &c. (1815)

• In Thomson's Annals of Philosophy:
  • ‘Curious Galvanic Experiments’ (1816)
  • ‘Observations on the Flame of a Candle’ (1816)
  • ‘On the Triple Prussiate of Potash’ (1818)
  • ‘On the Anthrazothion of Von Grotthuss, and on Sulphuretted Chyazic Acid’ (1819)
  • ‘On Ferrochyazate of Potash and the Atomic Weight of Iron’ (1819)

• In the Chemical Society's Memoirs:
  • ‘On the Chemical Composition of Gun-Cotton’ (with E. Teschemacher) (1846)
  • ‘On the Existence of a new Alkali in Gun-Cotton’ (1846)