Frederick Accum
Friedrich Christian Accum (1769–1838), chemist, was born on 29 March 1769 at Bückeburg, Westphalia, the sixth of the seven children of Christian Accum (b. 1727), a soap maker, and his wife, Judith Susanne Marthe, née Le Motte (b. 1732).
Accum was educated at the local Gymnasium and also had private tuition in French and English. On leaving school he was apprenticed to the Brande family pharmacy at Hanover.
1793 Accum transferred to the London branch in Arlington Street
1800 He set up business independently at 11 Old Compton Street, Soho, from where he supplied chemicals and apparatus.
1801 Appointed assistant chemical operator at the Royal Institution.
1803 Published A Theoretical and Practical Chemistry privately. Later published various practical texts on chemistry and analytical mineralogy
1803 Left the Royal Institution. Gave lectures himself.
1809 Courses at Blackfriar's Surrey Institution.
1809 Represented Winsor's patent interests before a committee of the House of Commons.
1810 Accum became a director of the Gas Light and Coke Co.
1815 Frederick Accum was Chief Chemist of the Gas Light and Coke Co; he found that useful by-products could be derived from the tar produced; he used closed stills to produce a distillate substitute for natural turpentine. It was used as a solvent in paints and varnishes, and later for the public lighting of Waterloo Bridge and neighbouring streets[1]
1815 Promoted gas lighting by publishing a Practical Treatise on the Gas Light.
1817 Published Chemical Amusements which achieved great popularity, and other works for popular audiences
1820 Published Treatise on Adulterations of Food and Culinary Poisons
1821 Caught stealing from the Royal Institution library. Escaped to Germany, where he remained for the rest of his life.
1822 professor of technical chemistry and mineralogy at the Royal Industrial Institute, and professor of physics, chemistry, and mineralogy at the Royal Academy of Construction, in Berlin.
1838 died in Berlin on 28 June.
See Also
Sources of Information
- ↑ Chemicals from coal by C A Townsend
- Biography, ODNB [1]