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Top 10 Unbelievable Facts about Acharya Prafulla Chandra Ray

An Indian scientist named Prafulla Chandra Ray was born on August 2, 1861. In India, Ray is known as the “Father of Chemistry.” He was offered a fellowship at the University of Edinburgh in 1882 after demonstrating significant promise in his studies as a young man in Bengal.

He got his BS and subsequently his PhD in 1887. He selected inorganic chemistry over organic chemistry at a time when organic chemistry was all the rage, becoming a specialist in mineral salts like sulfates and nitrates. In 1888, he went to India and was hired at the Presidency College in Calcutta the next year.

Because he was Indian, he was unable to secure a place in the imperial service, an affront to which he took public offence. Ray was an outspoken Bengali nationalist throughout his life, but he did not survive long enough to see his ambition realized.

1. He announced the momentous discovery of mercurous nitrate, a novel chemical

Nitrate by Mykhal from

It’s hard to think that no one had discovered this substance, which was fairly stable once you worked out how to manufacture it, in millennia of alchemical and chemical research. He published his discovery in a number of articles, including one in the Journal of the Chemical Society of London in 1897, which we have in our archives (second image).

Ray was able to build a new school of chemistry in India and attract a large number of students as a result of the discovery, which spawned a new field of research. He joined the faculty of Calcutta University College of Science in 1916, where he founded a new chemistry school. In 1936, he retired and died in 1944.

2. Ray was known for his charity and his zeal for Indian freedom

acharya by Biswarup Ganguly from

He lived simply, had little need for money, and began donating his whole salary to the Calcutta Department of Chemistry for research and student support in 1921. His humility and way of living were as inspiring to his students and contemporaries as his inorganic chemistry competence. He was also fascinated by the history of chemistry, publishing A History of Chemistry in Ancient and Medieval India in 1902-08; the Library has a subsequent edition, retitled A History of Hindu Chemistry (1956). We’d like to get our hands on the first edition at some time.

3. Ray received a Chemical Landmark Plaque from the Royal Society of Chemistry

royal society of chemistry by Matt Brown from Wikimedia Commons

According to the Times of India, Ray was awarded a Chemical Landmark Plaque by the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2011, the first plaque ever granted to a chemist outside of Europe. All of the Wikipedia-style bios have taken up on this story, but that’s weird because Landmark Plaques are given to sites, not persons, and the RSC website makes no mention of it.

We’re hoping that some of the narratives are genuine because Ray deserves more attention from the West. He is a scientific hero in India, as he should be, and he was recognized with a special exhibition at the Kolkata Science Centre in 2011. Here are some photos from that occasion.

4. Both his parents loved education

Prafulla Chandra Ray was born on August 2, 1861, in the village of Raruli-Katipara, Bangladesh, to two brothers. Harish Chandra Ray, his father, was a landlord who enjoyed studying and had a large library in his home. Bhubanmohini Devi, Prafulla’s mother, was a well-educated liberal.

5. He built a laboratory in his home 

chemistry lab by from

He returned to Kolkata and attended Albert School before enrolling at Metropolitan College in 1879 after passing the entrance exam (now Vidyasagar College). Prafulla also studied chemistry at Presidency College, and it quickly became his favourite subject; he set up a home laboratory and began experimenting.

6. He fell ill for two years while still at school 

Prafulla was nine years old when his family relocated to Kolkata, and he attended the Hare School. Prafulla became unwell and had to return to his village in 1874. Prafulla’s recovery took two years, and he was left permanently feeble with digestive problems and insomnia. He read in his father’s well-equipped library during his recovery.

7. He won a scholarship to Edinburgh University 

Acharya Prafulla Chandra Roy by

Prafulla obtained a scholarship to Edinburgh University in the United Kingdom in 1882, and he graduated in 1885. In 1887, he received a D. Sc. and the “Hope Prize” for his thesis “Conjugated Sulphates of the Copper-Magnesium Group: A Study of Isomorphous Mixtures and Molecular Combinations,” which he continued to work on at Edinburgh.

8. He established Bengal Chemical works 

He founded Bengal Chemical Works in 1892 with a tiny capital of 700 INR. It thrived under his leadership. The company began by manufacturing herbal goods and traditional treatments. Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works Ltd (BCPW) was established in 1901, making it India’s first pharmaceutical company. The company grew over time, eventually becoming a major chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturer.

9. He became an assistant professor of chemistry 

Bengal Chemical Works was started in 1892 with a tiny capital of 700 INR. It thrived while he was in charge. Herbal remedies and traditional medicines were the company’s first items. Bengal Chemical and Pharmaceutical Works Ltd (BCPW), India’s first pharmaceutical company, was established in 1901 as a private corporation. The company grew steadily, eventually becoming a major chemical and pharmaceutical manufacturer.

10. He actively helped the impoverished 

Prafulla Ray desired to use science’s wonders to help the public. He was a dedicated and enthusiastic social worker who eagerly and actively assisted those affected by hunger and floods in Bengal in the early 1920s.

He promoted khadi and developed a number of other businesses, including the Bengal Enamel Works, the National Tannery Works, and the Calcutta Pottery Works. He was a real rationalist who opposed the caste system and other irrational social structures fully. He persisted in his social reformation work till his death.

Prafulla Ray remained a bachelor throughout his life, retiring as professor emeritus in 1936 at the age of 75. He died on June 16, 1944, at the age of 82.