He was an English chemist and physicist, born in Ireland. After moving to Oxford in 1654 he worked on gases, using an air pump made by Robert Hooke.

In 1662 he discovered Boyle's law. In chemistry he worked on flame tests and acid-base indicators.

Boyle is generally regarded as the person who established chemistry as a modern subject, distinct from alchemy. He was the first to give a definition of a chemical element.