Sir James Dewar

Sir James Dewar
Sir James Dewar FRS
Born	(1842-09-20)20 September 1842 Kincardine-on-Forth, Scotland
Died	27 March 1923(1923-03-27) (aged 80) London, England
Nationality	Scottish / British
Fields	Physics Chemistry
Institutions	Royal Institution Peterhouse, Cambridge
Alma mater	University of Edinburgh
Doctoral advisor	Lord Playfair
Known for	Liquid oxygen Liquid hydrogen
Notable awards	Hodgkins gold medal (Smithsonian Institution) Lavoisier Medal (French Academy of Sciences) Albert Medal (Royal Society of Arts) Rumford Medal (1894) Franklin Medal (1919)

Sir James Dewar FRS FRSE (20 September 1842 – 27 March 1923) was a Scottish chemist and physicist. He is probably best known today for his invention of the vacuum flask, which he used in conjunction with extensive research into the liquefaction of gases. He was also particularly interested in atomic and molecular spectroscopy, working in these fields for more than 25 years.

James Dewar was born in Kincardine, Perthshire (now in Fife) in 1842, the youngest of six boys of Thomas Dewar, a vintner, and his wife, Ann Eadie. James was educated at Kincardine Parish School and then Dollar Academy. He lost his parents when he was 15, soon after leaving the Academy, but was still able to attend University of Edinburgh. There he studied chemistry under Lyon Playfair (later Baron Playfair) and became Playfair's personal assistant. Dewar also studied under August Kekulé at Ghent.

In 1875, Dewar was elected Jacksonian professor of natural experimental philosophy at the University of Cambridge, becoming a fellow of Peterhouse. He became a member of the Royal Institution and later, in 1877, replaced Dr. John Hall Gladstone in the role of Fullerian Professor of Chemistry. Dewar was also the President of the Chemical Society in 1897 and the British Association for the Advancement of Science in 1902, as well as serving on the Royal Commission established to examine London's water supply from 1893 to 1894 and the Committee on Explosives. Whilst he was serving on the Committee on Explosives, Frederick Augustus Abel and he developed cordite, a smokeless gunpowder alternative.