Robert Hare (chemist)
Encyclopedia
Robert Hare was an early American
chemist
.
Hare was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
on January 17, 1781. He developed and experimented with the oxy-hydrogen blowpipe
, with Edward Daniel Clarke
of Oxford
, shortly after 1800. He married Harriett Clark and had six children. He was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania between 1810 and 1812 and between 1818 and 1847. By the 1820s, Hare had developed the "galvanic deflagrator", a type of voltaic battery
having large plates used for producing rapid and powerful combustion
.
In 1854, Hare converted to Spiritism
and wrote several books that made him very famous in the United States as a Spiritualist. In the same year he published a book entitled Experimental Investigation of the Spirit Manifestations. His work was criticized by own co-workers, but was warmly welcomed with enthusiasm by the Spiritualists.
Hare was a prolific writer, writing about hundred and fifty articles in the American Journal of Science
. Among his other publications, there are:
Hare wrote also two novels:
Hare died in Philadelphia on May 15, 1858.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
chemist
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
.
Hare was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a U.S. state that is located in the Northeastern and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. The state borders Delaware and Maryland to the south, West Virginia to the southwest, Ohio to the west, New York and Ontario, Canada, to the north, and New Jersey to...
on January 17, 1781. He developed and experimented with the oxy-hydrogen blowpipe
Blowpipe (tool)
The term blowpipe refers to one of several tools used to direct streams of gases into any of several working media.- Blowpipes for torches :...
, with Edward Daniel Clarke
Edward Daniel Clarke
Edward Daniel Clarke was an English naturalist, mineralogist and traveller.-Life:Edward Daniel Clarke was born at Willingdon, Sussex, and educated first at Tonbridge....
of Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
, shortly after 1800. He married Harriett Clark and had six children. He was a professor at the University of Pennsylvania between 1810 and 1812 and between 1818 and 1847. By the 1820s, Hare had developed the "galvanic deflagrator", a type of voltaic battery
Battery (electricity)
An electrical battery is one or more electrochemical cells that convert stored chemical energy into electrical energy. Since the invention of the first battery in 1800 by Alessandro Volta and especially since the technically improved Daniell cell in 1836, batteries have become a common power...
having large plates used for producing rapid and powerful combustion
Combustion
Combustion or burning is the sequence of exothermic chemical reactions between a fuel and an oxidant accompanied by the production of heat and conversion of chemical species. The release of heat can result in the production of light in the form of either glowing or a flame...
.
In 1854, Hare converted to Spiritism
Spiritism
Spiritism is a loose corpus of religious faiths having in common the general belief in the survival of a spirit after death. In a stricter sense, it is the religion, beliefs and practices of the people affiliated to the International Spiritist Union, based on the works of Allan Kardec and others...
and wrote several books that made him very famous in the United States as a Spiritualist. In the same year he published a book entitled Experimental Investigation of the Spirit Manifestations. His work was criticized by own co-workers, but was warmly welcomed with enthusiasm by the Spiritualists.
Hare was a prolific writer, writing about hundred and fifty articles in the American Journal of Science
American Journal of Science
The American Journal of Science is the United States of America's longest-running scientific journal, having been published continuously since its conception in 1818 by Professor Benjamin Silliman, who edited and financed it himself...
. Among his other publications, there are:
- A Brief View of the Policy and Resources of the United States (1810);
- Chemical Apparatus and Manipulations (1836);
- Compendium of the Course of Chemical Instruction in the Medical Department of the University of Pennsylvania (1840);
- Memoir on the Explosiveness of Niter (1850);
- Spiritualism Scientifically Demonstrated (1855).
Hare wrote also two novels:
- Standish the Puritan: A Tale of the American Revolution
- Overing: or, The heir of Wycherly. A historical romance (1852)
Hare died in Philadelphia on May 15, 1858.
Further reading
- Bache, Franklin. Robert Hare, M.D., (1858). From the Digital Collections of the National Library of Medicine.