James Johnston Dobbie

Sir James Johnston Dobbie, FRS FRSE FIC FCS (4 August 1852 – 19 June 1924) was known for the isolation, chemical structure, and physical properties (especially UV and visible spectra) of alkaloids. He isolated hydroxycodeine from opium and synthesized diphenylene. He carried out UV-VIS spectra of gaseous main group elements and organic compounds.

Life

He was born at 189 Duke Street in Glasgow[1] on 4 August 1852 the son of Alexander Dobbie a local chemist. He was educated at Glasgow High School and then Glasgow University graduating MA in 1875.

He continued as a postgraduate at University of Edinburgh under William Ramsay, receiving a DSc in 1879.

Dobbie was appointed first head of chemistry at Bangor University, then the University College of North Wales, in 1884 and built the department up in its early years.

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 1903. His proposers were Sir Francis Grant Ogilvie, Alexander Crum Brown, Ramsay Heatley Traquair and Andrew Gray.[2]

He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1904.[3] He was director of the Royal Scottish Museum from 1903 to 1909, and principal of the Government Laboratory, London from 1909 to 1920.[4] He was appointed President in the Royal Institute of Chemistry from 1915–1917 and was elected president of the Chemical Society in 1919. He was knighted in 1915.[5]

His family was long associated with Fairlie, North Ayrshire, in 1920 in retired to the village, and on 19 June 1924 he died there.[6][7] He is buried in Largs Cemetery.

Family

He married Violet Chilton in 1887. Son Alexander Middleton Dobbie of the Black Watch 6th Bn. died 13th April 1918 aged 19 years old and is commemorated at Prenes British Cemetery in France.

References
  1. Glasgow Post Office Directory, 1852: Alexander Dobbie, chemist
  2. Biographical Index of Former Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh 1783–2002 (PDF). The Royal Society of Edinburgh. July 2006. ISBN 0-902-198-84-X. Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 January 2013. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  3. "DOBBIE, Jas. J." Who's Who. Vol. 59. 1907. p. 492.
  4. His predecessor as principal chemist of the Government Laboratory was Edward Thorpe.
  5. Royal Society of Chemistry archive of his obituary
  6. 'Mackintosh Architecture' led by The Hunterian, University of Glasgow Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  7. Sir James J. Dobbie, D.Sc, LL.D., F.R.S. Obituary notices Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  • J. Chem. Soc. Trans. 1924, 125, pp. 2681–2690.
  • Proc. Roy. Soc. A 1925, 107, pp. vi-viii.
  • Dictionary of Scientific Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1970–1990, vol. 11, p. 278b.
  • J. R. Partington, A History of Chemistry, Macmillan, 1964, vol. 4, p. 840.
  • Proc. Am. Acad. Arts Sci. 1952, 81, pp. 47–49.
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