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Editorial
Nature 440, 384 (23 March 2006) | doi:10.1038/440384a; Published online 22 March 2006
A colourful past
Abstract
The production of dyes in the nineteenth century marked a turning point in the appliance of science.
The 150th anniversary of William Perkin's synthesis of aniline mauve dye (see page 429) is more than just an excuse to retell a favourite story from chemistry's past. To be sure, the tale contains much to delight in: Perkin's extraordinary youth and good fortune, the audacity of his gamble in setting up a business to mass-produce the dye, and the chromatic riches that so quickly flowed from an unpromising black residue of coal-gas production.
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