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This article is about the chemist, for other people with this name see Thomas Thomson (disambiguation).

Thomas Thomson FRS (12 April 1773 – 2 July 1852) was a Scottish chemist whose writings contributed to the early spread of Dalton's atomic theory.

Life and work

Thomas Thomson was born in Crieff, Perthshire in 1773. He was educated at the University of St. Andrews in classics, mathematics, and natural philosophy. He went on to graduate in medicine from the University of Edinburgh in 1799. However, he was inspired by Joseph Black to take up the study of chemistry.

In 1796, Thomson succeeded his brother, James, as assistant editor of the Supplement to the Third Edition of the Encyclopædia Britannica, contributing the articles Chemistry, Mineralogy, and Vegetable, animal and dyeing substances. In 1802, Thomson used these articles as the basis of his book System of Chemistry.

Thomson dabbled in publishing, acted as a consultant to the Scottish excise board, invented the instrument known as Allan's saccharometer, and opposed the geological theories of James Hutton, founding the Wernerian Natural History Society of Edinburgh as a platform in 1808. In Mar 1811 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society ^[1] and in 1815 was elected a corresponding member of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.

In 1817, Thomson became Lecturer in and subsequently Regius Professor of Chemistry at the University of Glasgow, retiring in 1841. In 1820 he identified a new zeolite mineral, named thomsonite in his honour.

Thomson died at Kilmun in 1852 and was buried at the Glasgow Necropolis.^[2] He was the father of Thomas Thomson (botanist|Thomas Thomson]], the botaist.

Honours

Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1805)
Fellow of the Royal Society, (1811)

Selected writings

Survey of Chemistry (1802)

The Elements of Chemistry (1810)

History of the Royal Society, from its institution to the end of the eighteenth century (1812)

An Attempt to Establish the First Principles of Chemistry by Experiment (1825)

History of Chemistry (1830)

A System of Chemistry of Inorganic Bodies (1831)

Chemistry of Animal Bodies (1843)

References

^ "Library and Archive Catalogue". Royal Society. Retrieved 25 October 2010.
^ "Thomas Thomson". Retrieved 2008-09-08.

External links

"Thomas Thomson". Retrieved 2008-09-08.

"Significant Scots". Retrieved 2008-09-08.

This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). "Thomas Thomson". [[Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition|Encyclopædia Britannica]] (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press. {{cite encyclopedia}}: URL–wikilink conflict (help)

This article about a British chemist is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.

[1] "Library and Archive Catalogue". Royal Society. Retrieved 25 October 2010.

[2] "Thomas Thomson". Retrieved 2008-09-08.

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@@ Line 12: / Line 12: @@
 In 1796, Thomson succeeded his brother, James, as assistant editor of the ''Supplement to the Third Edition of the [[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'', contributing the articles ''Chemistry'', ''[[Mineralogy]]'', and ''[[Vegetable]], [[animal]] and [[dyeing]] substances''. In 1802, Thomson used these articles as the basis of his book ''System of Chemistry''.
-Thomson dabbled in [[publishing]], acted as a consultant to the [[Scottish excise board]], invented the instrument known as [[Allan's saccharometer]], and opposed the [[geology|geological]] theories of [[James Hutton]], founding the [[Wernerian Natural History Society of Edinburgh]] as a platform in 1808. In 1815, he was elected a corresponding member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]].
+Thomson dabbled in [[publishing]], acted as a consultant to the [[Scottish excise board]], invented the instrument known as [[Allan's saccharometer]], and opposed the [[geology|geological]] theories of [[James Hutton]], founding the [[Wernerian Natural History Society of Edinburgh]] as a platform in 1808. In Mar 1811 he was elected a [[Fellow of the Royal Society]] <ref> {{cite web| url= http://www2.royalsociety.org/DServe/dserve.exe?dsqIni=Dserve.ini&dsqApp=Archive&dsqCmd=Show.tcl&dsqDb=Persons&dsqPos=12&dsqSearch=%28Surname%3D%27Thomson%27%29| title = Library and Archive Catalogue| publisher= Royal Society |accessdate = 25 October 2010}} </ref> and in 1815 was elected a corresponding member of the [[Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences]].
-In 1817, Thomson became Regius Professor of Chemistry at the [[University of Glasgow]], and in 1820 he identified a new [[zeolite]] [[mineral]], named [[thomsonite]] in his honour.
+In 1817, Thomson became Lecturer in and subsequently Regius Professor of Chemistry at the [[University of Glasgow]], retiring in 1841. In 1820 he identified a new [[zeolite]] [[mineral]], named [[thomsonite]] in his honour.
-Thomson died at [[Kilmun]] in 1852 and was buried at the [[Glasgow Necropolis]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Thomas Thomson | url = http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/people/famousfirst2573.html| accessdate = 2008-09-08 }}</ref>
+Thomson died at [[Kilmun]] in 1852 and was buried at the [[Glasgow Necropolis]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Thomas Thomson | url = http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/people/famousfirst2573.html| accessdate = 2008-09-08 }}</ref> He was the father of Thomas Thomson (botanist|Thomas Thomson]], the botaist.
 ==Honours==