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James Moir as Inorganic Chemist
Abstract
James Moir was a pioneering chemist in the early 1900s who played a leading role in various chemical societies in South Africa. Although he was mainly an organic chemist, he also made contributions in the field of inorganic chemistry. His forays in this field deal with gold extraction using the new solvent thiourea, removal of cyanide using ferrous sulphate, and investigations into the ‘purple of Cassius’. He was also a theoretical chemist who played a role in the development of atomic theory and made suggestions to help unravel the nature of the atom, the composition of the nucleus and chemical combination.
KEYWORDS: Inorganic chemistry, gold, atomic theory, history of chemistry.