P002872 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1997-06-30 human Rosanne Walker and Helen Cohn updated 2025-11-05 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P002872b.htm person Dewar Robert Alfred FTS AACR2 1908 1981 Industrial chemist Robert Dewar spent most of his working life with Imperial Chemical Industry of Australia and New Zealand Limited, ending his career as Associate Research Manager of the Central Research Laboratories. He was educated at the University of Western Australia (BSc, MSc) and then went on to work for the Western Australian Railways and later the Education Department. In 1940 Dewar joined ICI Australia and was seconded to the Government to help make TNT during World War II. After that he returned to ICI working at the Deer Park and Yarraville development laboratories in Victoria. With Ian McWilliam he invented flame ionisation detector, a key component of gas chromatography, which was licensed for use world-wide. Other notable included optical resolution of tetramisole, a heterocyclic, optically active veterinary drug which was used widely and commercially successful; the use of sulfuric acid to harden urea; redesign of chlorine diaphragm cells; and the manufacture of sulfamerazine. Dewar received the Grimwade Prize in Industrial Chemistry (twice) and the H. G. Smith Memorial Medal in 1967. In 1975 Dewar was appointed a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (FTSE). 1931 1931 Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Western Australia 1940 1940 Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Western Australia 1940 1943 Career position - Industrial chemist, seconded from Imperial Chemical Industry of Australia and New Zealand Limited to Government Explosives Factory no. 5 (Albion), Deer Park, Victoria 1943 1945 Career position - Research Officer, Imperial Chemical Industry of Australia and New Zealand Limited 1946 1952 Career position - Development Officer, Imperial Chemical Industry of Australia and New Zealand Limited 1952 1956 Career position - Section Leader, Imperial Chemical Industry of Australia and New Zealand Limited 1956 1970 Career position - Industrial chemist (later Associate research Manager), Central Research Laboratories, Imperial Chemical Industry of Australia and New Zealand Limited 1962 1962 Award - Grimwade Prize in Industrial Chemistry (with I. G. McWilliam), University of Melbourne 1967 1967 Award - H. G. Smith Memorial Medal, Royal Australian Chemical Institute, for his role in inventing the flame ionization detector 1968 1968 Award - Grimwade Prize in Industrial Chemistry (with V. E. Maier and M. A. Riddols), University of Melbourne 1970 1970 Life event - Retired 1970 c. 1975 Career position - Part time consultant, Central Research Laboratories, ICI Australia 1975 1981 Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (FTS) Ingram, M. A. McWilliam, Ian Gordon (1933 - 2020) H. G. Smith Memorial Medal, Royal Australian Chemical Institute (1929 - )

Awarded the Medal 1967

 Australian Academy of Technological Sciences (1975 - 1987)

Fellow 1975 - 1981

 Central Research Laboratories, ICI Australia Ltd (1956 - 1990s)

Industrial chemist (later Associate research Manager) 1956 - 1970

 Grimwade Prize in Industrial Chemistry, Faculty of Science, University of Melbourne (1906 - )

Awarded the Prize 1962 and 1968 (both jointly)

 Dewar, Robert Alfred (1908-1981)

Trove

 'Dewar, Robert Alfred', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Dewar, Robert Alfred Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Resource: Fellows of the Academy Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Fellows of the Academy 2024 Journal Article: The flame ionization detector: a theoretical approach Dewar, R. A. The flame ionization detector: a theoretical approach 1961 Journal of chromatography 6 312-23 Journal Article: Flame ionization detector for gas chromatography McWilliam, I. G.; and Dewar, R. A. Flame ionization detector for gas chromatography 1958 Nature 181 4611 760 Journal Article: The invention, development, and triumph of the flame ionization detector Ettre, Leslie S. The invention, development, and triumph of the flame ionization detector 2002 LcGc North America 20 1 49-60 Journal Article: Obituary: Robert Alfred Dewar Kolm, J. Obituary: Robert Alfred Dewar 1981 Australian Academy of Technological Sciences annual report 6 26-7 Journal Article: Robert Alfred Dewar, 1908-1981 Whitton, William I. Robert Alfred Dewar, 1908-1981 1981 Chemistry in Australia 48 4 64 Resource: Technology in Australia 1788-1988 Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Technology in Australia 1788-1988 Online Melbourne Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre 2000