Siblings Francis Guthrie | Role Writer Name Frederick Guthrie | |
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Died October 21, 1886, London, United Kingdom Books Magnetism and Electricity, The First Book of Knowledge, Practical Physics: Molecular | ||
Academic advisors Augustus De Morgan Children Frederick Bickell Guthrie | ||
Prof Frederick Guthrie FRS FRSE (15 October 1833 – 21 October 1886) was a British physicist and chemist and academic author.
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He was the son of Alexander Guthrie, a London tradesman and the younger brother of mathematician Francis Guthrie. With William Fletcher Barrett he jointly founded the Physical Society of London (now the Institute of Physics) in 1874 and was president of the society from 1884 till 1886. He believed that science should be based on experimentation rather than discussion.
Academic career
His academic career started at University College, London, where he studied for three years, he was devoted to the studying chemistry, under Thomas Graham and Alexander William Williamson, and also studied mathematics under Augustus De Morgan. In 1852, he submitted his brother's observations to De Morgan.
In 1854 Guthrie went to Heidelberg studying under Robert Bunsen and then in 1855 obtained a Ph.D. at the University of Marburg under Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe.
In 1856 he joined Edward Frankland, Professor of Chemistry in Owens College, Manchester. In 1859 he went to Edinburgh University.
Guthrie was the first to report on the effects of mustard gas. In 1860, he described combining ethylene with sulfur dichloride and observations of some of the physiological effects it had on him.
In 1860 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, his proposer being Lyon Playfair. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London in 1871.
He became professor in chemistry and physics, at the Royal College of Mauritius between 1861 and 1867.
He was also a professor at the Royal School of Mines, where he mentored the future experimental physicist C. V. Boys. He also mentored John Ambrose Fleming and was instrumental in turning his interest from chemistry to electricity.
He invented the thermionic diode 1873 (this was later given alternate credit to Edison's assistant WJ Hammer).
He wrote the Elements of Heat in 1868 and Magnetism and Electricity in 1873 (published in 1876).
Guthrie was also a linguist, playwright, and poet. Under the name Frederick Cerny, he wrote the poems The Jew (1863) and Logrono (1877).
He is buried in Kensal Green Cemetery in London.
Family
He was married four times.
His son was Frederick Bickell Guthrie, an agricultural chemist.