The Aniline Dyes, the invention of the world’s first synthetic dye was nothing but a colorful disaster. The world of invention is colorful by default. Here, even mistakes can create new inventions or rather invention itself could be a result of a mistake. At the age of 18 when average teenagers spent their time figuring out functioning mosquito repellents then William Henry Perkin received a project from his Professor August Wilhelm von Hofmann. In 1853, his Professor August Wilhelm von Hofmann from the Royal College of Chemistry, London, handed over his first project. The project was producing a synthetic replica of Quinine which would replace the organic Quinine.
In those days the world was not aware of the fact that the main culprit causing Malaria was female Anopheles mosquitoes. On the other hand, mosquito-borne diseases were killing people in millions. The only available information about Malaria was its cure Quinine. Quinine was the only effective treatment for Malaria which was extracted from Cinchona Tree. Back then, the demand for that organic compound was much higher than its supply. Under such circumstances, the synthetic replica of Quinine was the demand of that time.
Therefore Perkin grabbed the project of creating a synthetic replica of Quinine. Despite his years of hard work and good intentions, he was not getting the desired result. He was attempting and failing constantly. However, by 1856, one day when he was in his laboratory and looking at his just another disastrous attempt then something amazing happened. After throwing away his unsuccessful attempt when he was washing his flask with alcohol then he noticed something unique. It was a dark purple residue at the bottom of his flask that drew his attention. Perkin was amused by the invention and started contemplating the practical use of that product as a synthetic dye.
He approached a few textile businessmen with a sample of his synthetic dye and they were amazed by that color. Though experienced businessmen suggested a few modifications and after all those modifications it was the moment when human civilization received the first synthetic dye known as Aniline Dye. This first color was known as Aniline Purple or Mauve. Soon Perkin left his college and started his own business with the monetary support of his father and elder brother. Despite all the objections from his teachers and many other well-wishers, this young man started his business. His factory started producing synthetic dye at a commercial scale and single-handedly changed the color of outfits for good.
Do you like this amazing story of an inventor whose disastrous invention Aniline Dyes reshaped human history? If you love such fascinating stories of inventions and discoveries, visit our “Stories of Invention” section. Discover how messy, accidental, or even funny moments have shaped the world and human history!
