Person Baker; Herbert Brereton (1862 - 1935); chemist Baker Herbert Brereton chemist 1862 - 1935 British Male Livesey, near Blackburn, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom 25 June 1862 18620525 Latchmoor House, Gerrards Cross, Buckinghamshire, England, United Kingdom 27 April 1935 19350427 Marriage: St Barnabas' Church, Dulwich, London, England, United Kingdom

Inorganic chemist Inorganic chemistry Education: Blackburn grammar school; Manchester grammar school; Balliol College MA (Oxon) Career: Demonstrator in chemistry at Balliol and private assistant to Harold Baily Dixon (1883-1885); chemistry master and head of the science side to Dulwich College (1886); headmaster of Alleyn's School, Dulwich (1902); returned to Oxford as Lee's reader in chemistry at Christ Church (1904); chief professor of chemistry at the Imperial College of Science and Technology, South Kensington (1912-1932). Honours: CBE 1917 Awards/Medals: Longstaff Medal 1912 (President 1926) Davy Medal 1923 Parents: Reverend John Baker, Curate in Charge of Livesey, near Blackburn, and Caroline Slater. Spouse: (m. 21 March 1905) Muriel Powell (d. 15 October 1944), daughter of Harry James Powell, glassmaker Children: Ronald Powell Brereton (c. 1906) and Audrey Muriel (1908) Distinguished for his researches on the influence of moisture on chemical change. He demonstrated that dry carbon and phosphorus will not inflame when heated in dry oxygen; that dry ammonia and hydrogen chloride when mixed do not unite, and that dry ammonium chloride and calomel respectively vaporise without dissociation. Shown that dry hydrogen and oxygen mixed together are not ignited by exposure to the temperature of melting silver. These results are of the utmost importance in regard to the theory of chemical action. Medals and prizes: Davy Medal 1923 Fellow 05/06/1902 40 Alexander Scott William Palmer Wynne Wyndham Rowland Dunstan William Henry Perkin Jr Harold Baily Dixon William Ramsay William James Russell William Odling William Augustus Tilden Sources: Bulloch's Roll; DNB Obituaries: Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society 1932-1935 vol l pp 523-526, plate, by J F Thorpe References: Sir Brian Pippard, FRS, 'Schoolmaster-Fellows and the campaign for science education' in NR 2002 vol 56 pp 63-81, plate Edmund J Bowen, 'The Balliol-Trinity Laboratories, Oxford 1853-1940' in NR 1970 vol 25 pp 227-236 Sir Harold Hartley and D C Martin, 'The Royal Society Club Dinner on 14 November 1968 in Celebration of the 90th Birthday of Sir Harold Hartley, FRS' in NR 1969 vol 24 pp 146-155 Baker HB IM000196.jpg International Standard Archival Authority Record for Corporate Bodies, Persons and Families - ISAAR(CPF) - Ottawa 1996 ISBN 0-9696035-3-3 National Council on Archives, Rules for the Construction of Personal, Place and Corporate Names, 1997 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsbm.1935.0015 https://royalsocietypublishing.org/action/doSearch?ContribAuthorRaw=Baker%2C+Herbert+Brereton 25 Jun 1862 - 27 Apr 1935 The past Fellows entries are under continuous revision. If you have queries or additional information to contribute, please contact Library@royalsociety.org. Content in external sources is not controlled by the Royal Society and historical sources may include content that is now unacceptable. Reviewed on 21/05/2025 as part of the Name Authority Project update. NA8111 21/11/2001 Andyg pmab 17/03/2026 RS_NET\VirginiaM Yes http://viaf.org/viaf/30277045 11951c03-5ec9-417e-af99-5ae5ae4e58cf