The Google Doodle on Monday featured British chemist Sir William Henry Perkin on his 180th birth anniversary. Perkin discovered the first synthetic dye, known as mauveine. Born on March 12, 1838, in London, Perkin accidentally discovered the aniline purple dye when he was a student at the Royal College of Chemistry in London. Perkin further probed, adding potassium dichromate and alcohol into the aniline in various stages, which resulted in a deep purple solution. Perkin, known for giving birth to the modern chemical industry, did not stop with this discovery but went on researching to find other aniline dye colours and synthetic scents.

Source: The Hindu March 12, 2018 04:42 UTC