Prafulla Chandra Ray: Father of Indian Chemistry

Prafulla Chandra Ray was an Indian chemist and teacher. He is called the Father of Indian Chemistry. He was also a nationalist and a businessman.

Where did he come from?

• He was born on 2 August 1861 in the village of Raruli-Katipara. It lies in present-day Bangladesh.
• His father was Harish Chandra Ray, a landlord who loved learning.
• Illness cut short his time at Hare School in Calcutta. He read widely at home.
• He passed the entrance exam in 1878.
• In 1882 he went to the University of Edinburgh on a scholarship.

What did he study at Edinburgh?

• He took a BSc in 1885.
• He took a DSc in chemistry in 1887.
• His thesis was on the copper-magnesium sulphates. It won the Hope Prize.
• He joined Presidency College, Calcutta, as an assistant professor in 1889.

When did he die?

Ray died on 16 June 1944, aged 82. The journal Nature called him the man most responsible for the growth of research in India.

What is the memory hook?

Think “1861 born, 1887 DSc, 1889 Presidency”. Edinburgh made the chemist.

Ray is best known for one compound. It is mercurous nitrite. He reported it in 1896.

Why did it matter?

• Mercurous nitrite is a stable compound of mercury.
• He found it while studying nitrites and hyponitrites.
• Chemists abroad took notice of his papers.
• It is among the earliest original research of modern Indian chemistry.

What else did he study?

• He worked on double salts and organic compounds with sulphur.
• He published well over a hundred research papers.
• He set up a research laboratory and gathered students around him.

Who did he teach?

His students at Presidency College included Meghnad Saha. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar also trained in this tradition. Both became leaders of Indian science.

What is the memory hook?

Think “nitrite, not nitrate, 1896”. The word ends in “ite”.

Ray wanted to show that India had its own chemistry long ago. He read ancient medical and metal-working texts for this. The result was his History of Hindu Chemistry.

What does the book cover?

• The first volume came out in 1902.
• A revised and enlarged edition followed in 1904.
• A second volume followed later.
• It records the metal-working and medicine of ancient India.

Why was it important?

• Many colonial writers said India had no real science tradition.
• Ray answered them with texts and evidence.
• The book made Indian readers proud of their past.

What is the memory hook?

Think “1902, a book against a myth”. Ray showed old India knew chemistry.

Ray thought India needed factories, not only laboratories. He started a small chemical works with Rs 700. It grew into India’s first pharmaceutical company.

What is the order of events?

• 1892: he founded Bengal Chemical Works with a capital of Rs 700.
• 1901: it became Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works Ltd.
• It worked from a rented house at 91 Upper Circular Road, Calcutta.
• Its first products were herbal and indigenous medicines.

What did the company make?

• Medicines and chemicals.
• Soaps, talcum powder and toothpaste.
• Fire extinguishers and surgical instruments.

Why did it matter?

• It used Indian skill and raw materials.
• It gave work to young Bengalis, so they need not seek jobs under foreign rulers.
• After 1905 it became part of the Swadeshi movement.

What is the memory hook?

Think “1892 works, 1901 company”. Nine years separate the two dates.

Acharya means a respected teacher. Students gave Ray this title out of love. He lived simply and gave away most of his money.

How did he live?

• He never married.
• He lived on very little and spent on others.
• At 60 he gave away his university salary for the rest of his service. It funded the chemistry department and two research fellowships.
• Many schools and colleges received his help.

What did he do for the public?

• He led relief work after the 1922 floods in North Bengal.
• He collected over 2.5 million rupees in cash and kind.
• He promoted khadi and Bengali writing.
• He spoke against the caste system.

What is the memory hook?

Think “Acharya, the teacher who gave it all away”.

Further reading: Better India; Famous Scientists; Banglapedia

Ray’s honours came from India and abroad.

What are the main ones?

• 1916: he moved to the new College of Science, Calcutta University, as a professor.
• 1919: the British Government made him a Knight Bachelor.
• 1920: he was General President of the Indian Science Congress.
• 1932 and 1935: his two-volume autobiography, Life and Experiences of a Bengali Chemist, appeared.
• 1936: he retired at 75 as Palit Professor, then served as professor emeritus.
• 2011: the Royal Society of Chemistry gave him its first Chemical Landmark plaque outside Europe.

What is the memory hook?

Think “knighted 1919, Science Congress 1920”. Honour first, chair next.

Checked against: Banglapedia; Eastern Mirror; Better India

Four mix-ups come up again and again. Learn each pair.

What are the traps?

• Which field? Ray is chemistry. C. V. Raman is physics. J. C. Bose is physics and plant science.
• Works or company? Bengal Chemical Works came in 1892. The pharmaceutical company came in 1901.
• Nitrite or nitrate? Ray reported mercurous nitrite.
• Whose student? Meghnad Saha studied under Ray’s influence at Presidency College.

How do you remember them?

Think “Ray, reagents, Rs 700”. The letter R fits all three.