Benjamin Silliman Jr.

For his father, a chemist of the same name, see Benjamin Silliman.

Benjamin Silliman Jr.
Silliman, c. 1865
Born(1816-12-04)December 4, 1816
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
DiedJanuary 14, 1885(1885-01-14) (aged 68)
New Haven, Connecticut, U.S.
Alma materYale University
Known forOil
Scientific career
FieldsChemistry
Signature

Benjamin Silliman Jr. (December 4, 1816 – January 14, 1885) was a professor of chemistry at Yale University and instrumental in developing the petroleum industry.

His father Benjamin Silliman Sr., also a famous Yale chemist, developed the process of fractional distillation that enabled the economical production of kerosene. In 1855, Silliman Jr. wrote a report for $526.08 on Pennsylvania rock oil and its usefulness as an illuminant that convinced investors to back George Bissell's search for oil.

This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is available under Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 unless otherwise noted. Additional terms may apply for the media files.