Robert Boyle | Biography

Robert Boyle, often referred to as "the father of modern chemistry," was a revolutionary scientific figure in his belief that all scientific disciplines should be subjected to the rigors of scientific experimentation, and that science itself could be explained through mathematical laws.

Boyle was born in Lismore, Ireland in 1627, the fourteenth child of Lord and Lady Cork. Boyle's father, who was the Earl of Cork, was one of the wealthiest men in the country, owning a large amount of land throughout Ireland. This would have a significant impact on Boyle, as it would provide him with the means to pursue his scientific research unencumbered by financial concerns for the rest of his life.

At the age of 8, Boyle and his brother Francis, who was four years older than Robert, were sent to Eton College to begin their education. Boyle would spend three years at Eton before returning home in 1638 to receive private tutoring from a local parson.

In 1641, Boyle and his brother were sent away once again, this time to embark on a five year European tour. A tutor went with them, and the boys received instruction in Latin, French, religious studies, and mathematics. During the trip, Robert also learned Greek, Hebrew, and Italian. While in Italy, he studied the works of Galileo, which introduced him to the use of mathematics as a necessary method of scientific study. Towards the planned end of the journey, news of political strife and civil war back in Ireland reached the Boyle brothers. Francis returned to fight against the Irish rebels with his father, but Robert, who had fallen ill, stayed in Geneva. In 1643, he received news that his father had died, and Boyle was finally able to finance his return to England the following year after selling jewelry and borrowing from his tutor.

Once back in London, Boyle lived with his sister, Lady Katherine Ranelagh. Katherine was well connected with some of the leading political and academic minds of the day. Of particular interest to Boyle were the scholars of philosophy, astronomy, and other disciplines that would meet regularly at various places around town, including Ranelagh's home. Boyle called this group "the Invisible College," and he voraciously continued his studies in order to be able to participate in these discussions. The "College" eventually asked Boyle to join their group as a regular member, despite the fact that he was not affiliated with any university and was largely self-taught.

Boyle eventually returned to Stalbridge, the family estate that had been deeded to him by his father. Boyle arrived in 1646, and spent six years putting the estate, which had fallen into disarray, back into order while continuing his scientific and academic studies during his leisure time. His efforts at restoring Stalbridge did not go unrewarded, as the rents and other profits from the property brought him a considerable annual sum. Political changes in Europe meant that Boyle's family recovered much of the land they had previously lost to Irish rebels in Munster, increasing his wealth even further.

When Boyle returned to England in 1654, he settled down at lodgings in Oxford to set up his own laboratory in order to begin a series of scientific experiments. Boyle had the financial means to afford both the best equipment and the best laboratory assistants. At Oxford, Boyle began a series of famous experiments that used a vacuum pump, constructed in part by assistant Robert Hooke, to test the properties of a vacuum. In 1660, Boyle published the results of his experiments in a book entitled New Experiments Physico-mechanical, touching the Spring of the Air and its Effects. Among his many landmark findings were that a flame could not exist in a vacuum, that the pressure of air or atmosphere is what makes mercury in a barometer rise, that sound could not travel in a vacuum, and that air itself had weight.

In 1662 in response to doubts expressed by several scientists about his findings on barometric pressure, Boyle published a second edition of his first book which included the now-famous "Boyle's law." Boyle's law stated that doubling the pressure on a gas reduces its volume to one-half, as long as the temperature of the gas stays constant. This finding further strengthened Boyle's assertions that air had "springiness," or elasticity.

Boyle's reputation as a scientist grew tremendously after the publication of his book, and in 1960, Charles II asked Boyle for a private demonstration of his barometric experiment. Boyle was offered both a title and holy orders in recognition of his achievements, but refused both. However, he did use the King's esteem of his talents to set up a new scientific organization, known as the "Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, to replace the now disbanded Invisible College. The King granted a charter for the group in 1662.

Boyle completed a significant work on chemistry in 1661, entitled The Sceptical Chymist, which sought to establish chemistry as a physical science based on mathematical principles. Up to that point, chemistry was not a science in and of itself, and was typically termed "alchemy," a craft that dealt with the separation of metals, the preparation of medicine, and spirit distillation. However, for the most part, there was no scientific discipline applied to the practice and much myth and mystery surrounding it. Boyle also argued against the Aristotelian idea that was still used in alchemy that everything in the world was composed of the four elements of earth, air, fire, and water. In Boyle's view, alchemy, or chemistry, was a necessary and useful science that needed to be subjected to the rigors of experimentation in order to place it on sound scientific footing.

Boyle returned to London in 1666 to be closer to the Royal Society. He moved back in with his sister Lady Ranelagh in 1668 when his health, which had never been good, began to fail. Boyle continued his experiments, and began to devote most of his laboratory time to work in chemistry. He conducted important work on the properties of phosphorus, acids, and alkalis here.

Boyle suffered a serious stroke in 1670 that left him paralyzed for nearly a year. He somehow managed an almost complete recovery and continued his work, although at a much slower pace. The Royal Society offered Boyle the presidency of that organization in 1680, but he declined. In 1691, Boyle passed away, one week after the death of one of his closest friends and allies, his sister.