Ivan Levinstein

{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}}

{{Short description|German-born UK chemist}}

File:Ivan Levinstein.jpg

Ivan Levinstein (1845-1916) was a German-born British chemist who pioneered the manufacture of synthetic dyes and helped develop the British chemical industry in the late nineteenth century. He was born in Charlottenburg, Germany, the son of a Berlin Calico manufacturer, studied chemistry at the Gewerbeinstitut, which later became Technische Universität Berlin, before joining the family business. He obtained his first patent in Germany in 1863 for improvements in manufacturing coal tar dyes.{{cite book |title=Manchester Faces & Places |date=November 1898 |publisher=JG Hammond & Co Ltd |location=London & Manchester |pages=21–23 |edition=Vol X, No 2}}

In 1864 he moved to Blackley, Manchester to start his own chemical manufacturing business.

Levinstein Ltd was an important Manchester based British dye-making company

As the business grew it moved to larger premises in Crumpsall, Manchester, in 1887. He developed Rosaline, an artificial magenta dye, Blackley blue dye, Manchester Brown and Manchester Yellow dyes and red azo dyes.

He also acted as a spokesperson for the British chemical industry, expressing concerns about growing German competitiveness. He founded, in 1871, the Chemical Review, in 1881 was a founder of the Manchester Section of the Society of Chemical Industry, later following Henry Roscoe as Chair of the Section. He also served as President of the Society of Chemical Industry between 1901 and 1903 and was a founder member of the Society of Dyers and Colourists in 1884.Levinstein Ltd., 1890-1919. ICI Dyestuffs Division and predecessor companies archive. University of Manchester Library. GB 133 ICI/8Travis, Anthony S. (2011)Heinrich Caro and Ivan Levinstein in Homburg, Ernst, Anthony S. Travis, and Harm G. Schröter. (2011). The Chemical Industry in Europe, 1850-1914: Industrial growth, pollution and professionalization. Dordrecht: Springer.https://www.soci.org/about-us/history/notable-scientists-and-inventors Society of Chemical Industry: notable-scientists-and-inventors - Ivan Levinstein and elected to the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society on 5 March 1895.{{cite book | title=Complete list of the members & officers of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society, from its institution on February 28th, 1781, to April 28th, 1896. And bibliographical lists of the manuscript volumes dealing with the affairs of the society, and of the volumes of the Memoirs and Proceedings published by the Society. With two appendices | publisher=[s.n.] | publication-place=Manchester | year=1896 | doi=10.5962/bhl.title.30692 | doi-access=free | url=https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/itempdf/74442 | access-date=July 9, 2025 | page=}}

Ivan's son Herbert Levinstein was a chemist who took over his father's dye manufacturing works.