James Young was a Scottish Chemist,
engineer, founder of the first commercial oil-works in the world, and is
known as the father of the petrochemical industry. He was born to John
Young, a cabinetmaker, and lived a modest life. He worked in the
mornings as an apprentice to his father. He attended evening classes at
Anderson’s College from the age of 19. It was there that he met Thomas
Graham who was a lecturer in chemistry. He was appointed as an assistant
to Graham, and became a friend of David Livingstone. His first
important contribution to the field of science was the modification of
the voltaic battery. He proposed immersing potatoes in dilute sulphuric
acid as a means of combating potato blight. He developed lubricating oil
and thinner oil for burning. His most important contribution, for which
he came to be known as James “Paraffin” Young, was for developing the
technique of extracting paraffin oil by distilling coal. He patented his
production in the US and the UK. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal
Society, served as the President of Anderson’s College, and founded the
Young Chair of Technical Chemistry at the College. He was elected to the
Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society. He was awarded an
Honorary LLD at St. Andrews University.
Childhood & Early Life
- James Young was on July 13, 1811 at Glasgow, Scotland to John Young, a cabinetmaker. He became an apprentice to his father quite early in life, and educated himself studying at night school.
- He worked in the mornings and attended evening classes at Anderson’s College from the age of 19 where he met Thomas Graham who was a lecturer in chemistry.Major Works
- In 1847, his was told about oil oozing from the Riddings colliery in Derbyshire. After considerable experimentation, he and Mr Edward Meldrum developed thick lubricating oil, and a thin oil suitable for burning.
He
discovered that by slow distillation a number of useful liquids could
be obtained from coal. One such liquid was “paraffine oil” which
congealed at low temperatures. He patented his products in 1850.
Awards & Achievements
In
1879, he was awarded an Honorary LLD at St. Andrews University, and for
two years was the Vice-President of the Chemical Society. He was
elected to the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society.
Personal Life & Legacy
- Young was married to Mary and the couple had three sons and four daughters.
- He died at his home on May 13, 1883 in Kelly, near Wemyss Bay, and was survived by his wife, their three sons and four daughters. He was buried at Inverkip.
- The James Young High School in Livingston, and the James Young Halls at the University of Strathclyde were named after him. In 2011, he was inducted into the Scottish Engineering Hall of Fame.Trivia
- This Scottish scientist built a miniature version of the “Victoria Falls” in Limefield House, where he lived, as a tribute to David Livingstone who discovered it in the mid-19th century.
This
scientific researcher was a good friend of David Livingstone, and
funded a search expedition to find Livingstone when he went missing. He
also arranged to have Livingstone’s servants brought back to England.
