As with many famous chemists, Edward Frankland entered science by way of pharmacy. He was born in Churchtown, England, on January 18, 1825. After completing grammar school, he was apprenticed at a local apothecary (pharmacy) shop, in preparation for a medical career. Instead, he became interested in chemistry and studied under Lyon Playfair (1818-1898) at the University of London, Robert W. Bunsen at the University of Marburg, and Justus von Liebig at the University of Giessen In 1851, Frankland was appointed the first professor of chemistry at Owens College in Manchester, England. He moved to St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London, England in 1857, to the Royal Institution in 1863, and to the Royal School of Mines in 1865.

Much of Frankland's research was related to the concept of organic radicals. In the early 1800s, organic compounds were thought to be composed of radicals, just as inorganic compounds were composed of elements. In attempting to...