William Ashwell Shenstone facts for kids

William Ashwell Shenstone was a smart English scientist and teacher who lived from 1850 to 1908. He was a member of the Institute of Chemistry and the Royal Society, which are important groups for scientists. He was famous for his work in chemistry and for teaching science at a well-known school called Clifton College. He also wrote several books about chemistry.

Life of a Chemist and Teacher

William Ashwell Shenstone was born on December 1, 1850, in Wells-next-the-Sea, England. His father, James Burt Byron Shenstone, was a chemist who made medicines. William was named after a poet who was a distant relative.

He went to Colchester Royal Grammar School. After school, he started learning from his father to become a chemist. During this time, he was in a fire and had pain for the rest of his life because of it.

On December 27, 1883, William married Jane Mildred. They had two children, a son and a daughter. William Shenstone passed away on February 3, 1908, in Mullion, Cornwall, when he was 58 years old.

Shenstone's Career

William Shenstone was a schoolteacher by profession. In 1874, he started working at Clifton College in Bristol as an assistant to another scientist, William Tilden. The next year, he became the science teacher at Taunton School. In 1877, he moved to Exeter grammar school to teach science there.

In 1880, he returned to Clifton College and took over from William Tilden as the main science teacher. He stayed at Clifton College until he died.

Important Chemistry Discoveries

Besides being a great teacher, Shenstone was also an important chemist. In 1872, he won the Pereira medal, which is a special award for chemists.

He worked with William Tilden to study terpenes, which are natural chemicals found in plants. They also researched how well different salts dissolve in liquids at very high temperatures. On his own, Shenstone worked on making ozone, a special type of oxygen. He also studied the properties of very clean chemicals.

Shenstone was part of many important science groups. He became a member of the Chemical Society in 1876. From 1878, he was a member of the Institute of Chemistry. He was also one of the first members of the Society of Chemical Industry. On June 9, 1898, he became a member of the Royal Society, which is a very old and respected group for scientists.

When he wasn't working, Shenstone enjoyed doing science experiments, reading, and cycling.

Books William Shenstone Wrote

William Ashwell Shenstone wrote several books about science. Here are some of them:

• Elements of inorganic chemistry (1900)
• Methods of glass blowing (1902)
• The new physics and chemistry (1906)
• The methods of glass-blowing and of working silica in the oxy-gas flame (1916)

Justus von Liebig, a book by Shenstone from 1901.