.. in the development of dyes under the leadership of August Wilhelm von Hoffman of Germany at the Royal College of Chemistry in England in 1845. He trained chemists including William Perkin who accidentally discovered the first synthetic dye called “mauve”.
While “mauve” was only popular a short while, it paved the way for further research. By 1900 more than 50 compounds had been isolated from coal tar. By 1914 the Germans had well established the synthetic dye industry that would lead to today’s products.
(Photo: 1914 German chemist doing a test on the color stability of a coal tar derived synthetic dye)