This article is about the English inventor. For the 19th century British politician, see John Arthur Roebuck. The Rt Hon. ...

John Roebuck (1718 – July 17, 1794) was an English inventor, who played an important role in the Industrial Revolution. // The Funj warrior aristocracy deposes the reigning mek and places one of their own ranks on the throne of Sennar. ... is the 198th day of the year (199th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1794 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... Motto (French) God and my right Anthem No official anthem - the United Kingdom anthem God Save the Queen is commonly used England() – on the European continent() – in the United Kingdom() Capital (and largest city) London (de facto) Official languages English (de facto)1 Government Constitutional monarchy  -  Monarch Queen Elizabeth II... For other uses, see Inventor (disambiguation). ... The Industrial Revolution was a major shift of technological, socioeconomic, and cultural conditions that occurred in the late 18th century and early 19th century in some Western countries. ...

He was born at Sheffield, where his father had a prosperous manufacturing business. After attending the grammar school at Sheffield and Dr Philip Doddridge's academy at Northampton, he studied medicine at Edinburgh, where he developed a taste for chemistry from the lectures of William Cullen and Joseph Black. He finally graduated M.D. at the University of Leiden in 1742. He started practice at Birmingham, but devoted much of his time to chemistry, especially in its practical applications. Among the most important of his early achievements in this field was the introduction, in 1746, of leaden condensing chambers for use in the manufacture of sulfuric acid. Together with Samuel Garbett, he built a factory at Prestonpans, in Scotland, for the production of the acid in 1749, and for some years they enjoyed a monopoly. Eventually his methods became known, and, having omitted to take out patents, he was unable to prevent others making use of them. Sheffield is a city and metropolitan borough in South Yorkshire, England. ... A grammar school is a school that may, depending on regional usage as exemplified below, provide either secondary education or, a much less common usage, primary education (also known as elementary). Grammar schools trace their origins back to medieval Europe, as schools in which university preparatory subjects, such as Latin... There is more than one Philip Doddridge important to history: Philip Doddridge (Nonconformist) Philip Doddridge (Virginia) This is a disambiguation page — a navigational aid which lists other pages that might otherwise share the same title. ... Northampton is a large market town and a local government district in central England on the River Nene, and the county town of Northamptonshire, in the English East Midlands region. ... , Edinburgh (() pronounced ; Scottish Gaelic: ) is the capital of Scotland and its second largest city. ... Chemistry - the study of interactions of chemical substances with one another and energy based on the structure of atoms, molecules and other kinds of aggregrates Chemistry (from Egyptian kÄ“me (chem), meaning earth[1]) is the science concerned with the reactions, transformations and aggregations of matter, as well as accompanying... William Cullen (April 15, 1710 – February 5, 1790) was a Scottish physician and chemist. ... Joseph Black Joseph Black (April 16, 1728 - December 6, 1799) was a Scottish physicist and chemist. ... Leiden University in the city of Leiden, is the oldest university in the Netherlands. ... // Events January 24 - Charles VII Albert becomes Holy Roman Emperor. ... See also Birmingham, USA, and other places called Birmingham. ... Sulfuric (or sulphuric) acid, H2SO4, is a strong mineral acid. ... Prestonpans is a small town to the East of Edinburgh, Scotland, in the unitary council area of East Lothian. ... This article is about the country. ... Acidity redirects here. ... For other uses, see Patent (disambiguation). ...

He next became involved in the manufacture of iron, and in 1760 established the Carron Company ironworks at Carron, Stirlingshire. There he introduced various improvements in methods of production, including the conversion (patented in 1762) of cast iron into malleable iron "by the action of a hollow pit-coal fire" urged by a powerful artificial blast. General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ... The Carron Company was an ironworks established in 1759 on the banks of the River Carron near Falkirk, in Stirlingshire, Scotland. ... Stirlingshire (Siorrachd Sruighlea in Gaelic) is a traditional county of Scotland, based around Stirling, the traditional county town. ...

His next enterprise was less successful. He leased a colliery at Bo'ness to supply coal to the Carron works, but in sinking for new seams encountered such quantities of water that the Newcomen engine which he used was unable to keep the pit clear. Hearing of James Watt's engine, he contacted its inventor. This engine, then at an early stage of its development, also proved inadequate, but Roebuck became a strong believer in its future and in return for a two-thirds share in the invention assisted Watt in perfecting its details. His troubles at the colliery, aggravated by the failure of an attempt to manufacture alkali, brought him into financial difficulties, and he parted with his share in Watt's engine to Matthew Boulton in return for the cancellation of a debt of £1200. Subsequently, though he had to give up his interest in the Bo'ness works, he continued to manage them and to reside at the neighbouring Kinneil House, where he occupied himself with farming on a considerable scale. Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... Boness (originally known as Borrowstounness) is a small town in Scotland, lying on a hillside on the south bank of the River Forth. ... Diagram of the Newcomen steam engine Thomas Newcomens atmospheric engine, today referred to as a Newcomen steam engine, was the first practical device to harness the power of steam to produce mechanical work. ... James Watt James Watt (19 January 1736 – 19 August 1819) was a Scottish inventor and engineer whose improvements to the steam engine were fundamental to the changes wrought by the Industrial Revolution. ... In chemistry, an alkali (from Arabic: al-qalyالقلوي, القالي ) is a basic, ionic salt of an alkali metal or alkali earth metal element. ... Matthew Boulton. ...

References

• This article incorporates text from the Encyclopædia Britannica Eleventh Edition, a publication now in the public domain.