THE RISE AND DECLINE OF THE BRITISH DYESTUFFS INDUSTRY: An Object Lesson for American Industry

The aphorism that those who do not remember the past are condemned to live it again is an often quoted warning from the writings of George Santayana. This paper will attempt to illustrate this adage with two examples, one having historical and the other having contemporary significance. We will examine the rise and very rapid decline of the British synthetic dyestuffs industry as the historical example and the current dilemma of the American semiconductor industry as the contemporary example. Both industries were pioneers in the application of chemistry (organic in the former and solid state in the latter) to the development of entirely new technologies. Although our analogy may not be perfect, it is hoped that our study will elicit an awareness by the reader of the fact that history may indeed repeat itself. The birth of the synthetic dye industry represents a classic example of serendipity in chemistry. During the 1856 Easter holidays William Henry Perkin (1838-1907), a student at the Royal College of Chemistry in London, working with its director August Wilhelm Hofmann (1818-1892), produced the first synthetic dyestuff mauve or mauveine (19). Attempting to produce the drug quinine in his home laboratory by the oxidation of allyl toluidine with potassium dichromate, Perkin obtained a dirty reddish brown precipitate instead of the desired product. Persisting in his belief that quinine could be synthesized from aromatic amines, Perkin next oxidized commercial aniline, which was a mixture of aniline and toluidine. This resulted in a purple solution. It is a testimony to the keenness of Perkin's mind that he was able see the potential of this reaction mixture as a dyestuff a potential which was William Henry Perkin at age 28