Which British chemist discovered the first synthetic dye, mauveine?

William Henry Perkin discovered mauveine, the first commercially successful synthetic dye, in 1856. The British chemist was only 18 when the discovery happened in his home laboratory in London.

Perkin was attempting to synthesize quinine, a costly natural medicine used against malaria, under the guidance of chemist August Wilhelm von Hofmann. When Perkin oxidized aniline with potassium dichromate, the reaction produced a black residue. Washing it with alcohol revealed an intense purple compound instead of quinine.

Perkin recognized that the substance could dye silk and remain reasonably stable. He patented the discovery and opened a factory at Greenford in 1857, turning mauveine into a mass-produced textile color. The shade became fashionable in Britain and France, helped by Queen Victoria wearing mauve at the 1862 International Exhibition.

A common mix-up is to credit Hofmann, Perkin’s teacher, or to call mauveine a single pure compound. Historic mauveine was actually a mixture of related molecules. Perkin’s accidental success helped launch the modern synthetic-dye and organic-chemicals industries.