Thomas, Sidney Gilchrist

Sidney Gilchrist Thomas, (born April 16, 1850, London, Eng.—died Feb. 1, 1885, Paris, Fr.), British metallurgist and inventor who discovered (1875) a method for eliminating phosphorus (a major impurity in some iron ores) in the Bessemer converter. The method is now called the Thomas-Gilchrist process, the Thomas process, or the basic process.

Thomas was preparing to matriculate in medicine at London University when his father died. Abandoning his plans, he instead took a job, briefly, as a classics teacher and then as a junior clerk in the police courts. He remained in this position until 1879, when his process first proved commercially viable.

Thomas studied applied chemistry and metallurgy at the Royal School of Mines while working as a clerk. By 1875 he had determined that the key to phosphorus removal in the Bessemer converter was the use of a lining composed of a strong basic substance (such as burned limestone) with which the phosphorus could combine and be eliminated in slag. With the aid of his cousin, Percy Gilchrist, Thomas was able to experiment and perfect his product; he applied for a patent in 1877. In the years that followed, Thomas was able to give up his menial job in the police courts and devote time and attention to other problems that interested him. The years in the dank courts had taken their toll, however, and his health failed.