John Mercer FRS, FCS, MPhS, JP: the Father of Textile Chemistry

Abstract

John Mercer (1791–1866) was a pioneering textile and colour chemist with a legacy of achievements. His invention of mercerising that bears his name, treating cellulosics with sodium hydroxide to bring about advantageous changes in fibre and fabric properties, will stand for all time as one of the most important textile chemical treatments ever developed. However, Mercer's contributions to the textiles and coloration industries went far beyond mercerisation. A self‐taught chemical experimentalist par excellence, his keen observations and interest in calico printing led to many novel developments, such as his work on Chrome Yellow and other ‘mineral colours’. Mercer developed new methods for fixing Prussian Blue on calico and wool, developed new mordants for dyeing, improved the extraction of carminic acid from cochineal, and improved the oiling process in Turkey Red dyeing. He saved lives with his research into early antimicrobials, preventing the spread of cholera in textile villages in Lancashire. Mercer was an unsung hero of early photography, and developed light‐sensitive imaging materials and made some of the earliest recorded monochromatic colour photographs. His forward‐looking views on technical education, that workers in the industry should be fully instructed in the nature of the various substances used in their arts, later came to fruition in the establishment of the textile departments in Manchester, Leeds and Glasgow. To this day, Mercer remains the only textile chemist who has ever been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society since 1852. He is thus quite rightly considered as the Father of Textile Chemistry.