John Cannell Cain

“ Perkin delivered before the Society of Arts in 1879 two lectures, which were published under the title 'The history of alizarin and allied colouring matters, and their production from coal-tar.' Meanwhile, in 1873, when the increasing demand for artificial alizarin rendered imperative an enlarged plant at Perkin's Greenford Green works, he transferred the concern to the finn of Brooke, Simpson & Spiller, and, retiring after eighteen years from the industry, thenceforth devoted himself to pure chemical research. ”

“ With the object of cheapening this process, Perkin in 1869 introduced two new methods for the manufacture of artificial alizarin, one starting from dichloroanthracene and the other, which is still in use, from the sulphonic acid of anthraquinone. This branch of the coal-tar industry developed rapidly, and, in spite of some competing effort of German manufacturers, the English market was almost entirely held by Perkin until the end of 1873. ”

“ He was presented with the Hofmann medal by the German Chemical Society and the Lavoisier medal by the French Chemical Society. A sum of 2700l., subscribed by chemists from all countries, was handed to the Chemical Society as the 'Perkin Memorial Fund,' to be applied to the encouragement of research in subjects relating to the coal-tar and allied industries. The 'Perkin medal' for distinguished services to chemical industry was instituted by the Society of Dyers and Colourists, and the American memorial committee founded a Perkin medal for American chemists. ”