A man of vast knowledge, the scientist had a keen interest in education

Acharya Sir Prafulla Chandra Ray was a chemist, educationist, historian, industrialist, and philanthropist, who is popularly known for establishing the first modern Indian research school in chemistry. The educationist is also regarded as the father of chemical science in India. Such was his contribution to the field of education and science that the Royal Society of Chemistry honoured his life and work with the first-ever Chemical Landmark Plaque outside Europe. Here are some interesting facts about Prafulla Chandra Ray.

Owing to his marvellous contribution in the field of science, the British Government awarded him as Companion of the Order of the Indian Empire in 1911 as well as awarded him a knighthood in 1917.

Sir Ray also had a keen interest in writing and contributed articles in Bengali to many monthly magazines, particularly on topics related to science. The first volume of his autobiography Life and Experience of a Bengali Chemist was published in 1932, and the second volume was issued in 1935.

Around 1895 Sir Ray started his work in the field of discovering nitrite chemistry, and in 1896 he published a paper on the preparation of a new stable chemical compound called mercurous nitrite. During one of his research and experiments, Sir Ray noticed the formation of a yellow crystalline solid with the reaction of excess mercury and diluted nitric acid.

The scientist and the industrialist were known for his charity work for Indian freedom. In 1921, Ray donated his entire salary to the Calcutta Department of Chemistry for research and student support.

In 1879 soon after Sir Ray enrolled at Metropolitan College and studied chemistry at Presidency College, it became quite clear to Prafulla that his interest lies in Chemistry. To this end, he set up a home laboratory and began experimenting.

In 1882 Sir Prafulla secured a scholarship to Edinburgh University in the United Kingdom from where he received his D. Sc. and the Hope Prize for his thesis Conjugated Sulphates of the Copper-Magnesium Group: A Study of Isomorphous Mixtures and Molecular Combinations.

Sir Prafulla Chandra Ray is also famous for establishing the Bengal Chemical works in 1892. He started the company with just 700 rupees at that time and was manufacturing herbal goods and traditional treatments. In 1901 Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works Ltd (BCPW) was established, becoming India’s first pharmaceutical company.

Indian scientists such as MeghnadSaha and Shanti SwarupBhatnagar were Sir Prafulla’s students.