Abstract
DR. J. W. BLAGDEN died on November 28 at his home in Loughton, Essex, in his sixty-seventh year. He came from a scientific family, and was educated at Dulwich and Emmanuel College, and took an honours degree in natural science in 1895. Proceeding to Würzburg, he worked under Häntzsch, obtained his Ph.D., and after a period as senior demonstrator in electro-chemistry at Darmstadt, entered industry with C. F. Böhringer und Söhne as research chemist and departmental manager. He worked on electrolytic oxidations and reductions, and later became interested in the then new field of catalytic hydrogenations. In this, particularly in its applications to industry, he was one of the pioneer workers. The outbreak of war in 19J4 put an end to his work in Germany. During the period of hostilities he was an internee at Ruhleben, where as the leader of a group he endeavoured to continue scientific work, an effort typical of a man who refused to be dismayed by difficulties. At the end of the war he returned to England and sought an opportunity to continue his work on catalysts. He joined Messrs. Howards and Sons, Ltd., in 1919 and undertook the organization and direction of a newly formed Research, Department. The range of new products manufactured by the firm during the last twenty years is a tribute to the energy and skill with which he pursued the task. In 1929 he was elected a director of the Company.
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Dr. J. W. Blagden. Nature 147, 19 (1941). https://doi.org/10.1038/147019a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/147019a0