Christopher Kelk Ingold

New entry on the life and work, both scientific and educational, of the English chemist, C K Ingold (1893-1970), a titan of 20th-c organic chemistry, who was head of department at University College London from 1937 to 1965

Un secteur à part? Les chimistes industriels et la Society of Chemical Industry dans le contexte de la communauté chimique britannique

Arising from an ongoing project, 'Studies of the British Chemical Community,1880-1970: The principal institutions', this chapter investigates the nature of the membership of the Society of Chemical Industry from its foundation in 1881 until World War I. It stresses the affective, social nature of the Society for industrial chemists at a national level in this period, as contrasted with the scientific and technical activities at a more local level. The project generally has pointed to a far higher degree of trained chemical input to the British chemical industry than is hitherto recognized as well as a very wide range of chemical and other firms employing chemists

Career patterns in the British chemical profession in the twentieth century

This paper uses material on the careers of chemists in the twentieth century from the ‘Studies of the British Chemical Community, 1880-1970’ project to place the experiences of chemists in the context of this dynamic new research area. The paper highlights the way that the values associated with a traditional professional ‘ideal type’ of the independent practitioner were retained despite a marked shift to salaried employment during the twentieth century. Career mobility amongst chemists was underpinned by these values and by the transferability of their core skills

British chemists abroad, 1887-1971: the dynamics of chemists' careers

This paper investigates the extent of overseas migration by British chemists over the period 1887-1971. Notwithstanding the ‘brain drain’ alarms of the 1960s, overseas employment was characteristic of some 19% of British chemists’ careers throughout our period, though its nature changed considerably. Those employed abroad were not only highly qualified but also both geographically mobile and occupationally versatile. Over the period, the pattern of chemists’ migration was broadly similar to that of British migration trends more generally. Except in the interwar years, chemists’ rate of migration was relatively constant. However, the length of time they spent abroad declined markedly over the period. From the late 19th century, British chemists staffed the Empire, but also found employment in the expanding US economy. After 1945, chemists’ destinations shifted more markedly towards North America, including Canada, and later also to Europe. Our work thus provides a new perspective on the dynamics of scientists’ migration and contributes to studies on the brain drain

Biographical Database of the British Chemical Community, 1880-1970. 2nd edition

Biographical details of some 4600 individuals, now deceased, who joined one or more of the three principal British chemical institutions in the period 1880-1970: the Chemical Society of London, The [Royal] Institute of Chemistry], or the Society of Chemical Industry. The database includes all Council members of the 3 societies plus representative samples of their memberships at large

Getting to know the history of chemistry

This chapter reviews changes in the field since the earlier edition of the book (1985) and introduces online materials in the field

The Overseas dimensions of British chemical societies, 1890-1950

Drawing on the ongoing project, 'Studies of the British Chemical Community, 1880-1970', this article points out the very considerable overseas component of the British chemical community. Over the period 1887-1956, about one-third of the 47,000 plus individuals who joined one or more of the three principal British chemical organizations – the Chemical Society, the [Royal] Institute of Chemistry, or the Society of Chemical Industry – had a non-UK component in their career. Furthermore, some 16 per cent at the start of the twentieth century, rising to about a quarter of the individuals joining the societies after the Second World War, had a non-UK component in their education. Chemists working overseas were highly mobile, both geographically and across employment sectors. Though it is hardly surprising that the Dominions feature, the USA and Europe were also important