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In 1881, Ramsay was married to Margaret Johnstone Marshall (née Buchanan), daughter of George Stevenson Buchanan. They had a daughter, Catherine Elizabeth (Elska) and a son, William George, who died at 40.

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Ramsay was born at 2 Clifton Street in Glasgow on 2 October 1852, the son of civil engineer and surveyor, William C. Ramsay, and his wife, Catherine Robertson. The family lived at 2 Clifton Street in the city centre, a three-storey and basement Georgian townhouse. The family moved to 1 Oakvale Place in the Hillhead district in his youth.

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https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Ramsay

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Ramsay lived in Hazlemere, Buckinghamshire, until his death. He died in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, on 23 July 1916 from nasal cancer at the age of 63 and was buried in Hazlemere parish church.

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He was educated at Glasgow Academy and then apprenticed to Robert Napier, a shipbuilder in Govan. However, he instead decided to study chemistry at the University of Glasgow, enrolling in 1866 and graduating in 1869. He then undertook practical training with the chemist Thomas Anderson and then went to study in Germany at the University of Tübingen with Willem Rudolph Fittig. where his doctoral thesis was entitled Investigations in the Toluic and Nitrotoluic acids.

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A scientist who discovered the chemical elements namely argon, helium, uranium, neon, crypton and xenon

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William Ramsay formed pyridine in 1876 from acetylene and hydrogen cyanide in an iron-tube furnace in what was the first synthesis of a heteroaromatic compound. In 1887, he succeeded Alexander Williamson as the chair of Chemistry at University College London(UCL). It was here at UCL that his most celebrated discoveries were made. As early as 1885–1890, he published several notable papers on the oxides of nitrogen, developing the skills that he needed for his subsequent work. On the evening of 19 April 1894, Ramsay attended a lecture given by Lord Rayleigh. Rayleigh had noticed a discrepancy between the density of nitrogen made by chemical synthesis and nitrogen isolated from the air by removal of the other known components. After a short conversation, he and Ramsay decided to investigate this. In August Ramsay told Rayleigh he had isolated a new, heavy component of air, which did not appear to have any chemical reactivity. He named this inert gas "argon", from the Greek word meaning "lazy". In the following years, working with Morris Travers, he discovered neon, krypton, and xenon. He also isolated helium, which had only been observed in the spectrum of the sun, and had not previously been found on earth. In 1910 he isolated and characterised radon.

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Member of American Philosophical Society, 1899

Order of Bath (KCB), 1902

Nobel Prize in Chemistry, 1904

Many more

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A blue plaque at number 12 Arundel Gardens, Notting Hill, commemorates his life and work.

The Sir William Ramsay School in Hazlemere and Ramsay grease are named after him.

There is a memorial to him by Charles Hartwell in the north aisle of the choir at Westminster Abbey.

In 1923, University College London named its new Chemical Engineering department and seat after Ramsay, which had been funded by the Ramsay Memorial Fund. One of Ramsay's former graduates, H. E. Watson was the third Ramsay professor of chemical engineering.

On 2 October 2019, Google celebrated his 167th birthday with a Google Doodle.

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William Ramsay's achievements revolutionized the field of chemistry, particularly through his discovery and characterization of noble gases, which introduced a completely new group to the periodic table. His work began with the synthesis of pyridine, marking a milestone in organic chemistry, but his most celebrated contributions came later at University College London. There, his collaboration with Lord Rayleigh led to the isolation of argon, followed by the discovery of neon, krypton, xenon, and the terrestrial isolation of helium. These breakthroughs demonstrated his keen observational skills, curiosity, and innovative experimentation, reshaping scientific understanding of the atmosphere and elements. Ramsay’s legacy lies not only in his discoveries but also in his dedication to advancing knowledge and inspiring future scientists.