chemistry inventions

Chemistry Inventions, Discoveries and Patents

Invention
Inventor
Year
Short Description
Patent No.




Aluminum
Charles Hall
1888
Electrolytic method for extracting pure aluminum from its ore
US400,665




Anti-Leukemia Drugs
Gertrude Elion
1955
2-Amino-6-Mercaptopurine, or "Purinethol," the first major medicine to fight leukemia.
US2,884,667




Bakelite
Leo Baekeland
1907
Nonflammable material that was cheaper and more versatile than other known plastics. Used in everything from engine parts to jewelry to electronics.
US942,699




Bromine Extraction
Herbert Dow
1891
Entirely new method of extracting bromine from prehistoric brine.
US11,232




Carborundum
Edward Acheson
1897
Highly effective abrasive used in manufacturing.
US492,767US615,648




Catalytic Cracking
William Burton
1912
First commercially successful process for cracking crude oil into gasoline and other products.
US1,049,667




Cortisone (Synthetic)
Lewis Sarett
1945
Synthetic version of the hormone cortisone: an effective treatment against rheumatoid arthritis.
US2,462,133




Dynamite
Alfred Nobel
1866
Combination of nitroglycerin absorbed by a porous substance that enabled an easily handled, solid yet malleable explosive.
US78,317




HDPE and Polypropylene Plastics
Robert BanksPaul Hogan
1956
A method to produce HDPE in a low pressure situation.
US2,825,721




Isothiocyanate Compounds
Joseph BurckhalterRobert Seiwald
1958
Identification of antigens through the synthesis of fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)
US2,937,186




Kevlar
Stephanie Kwolek
1971
Polymer fiber five times stronger than the same weight of steel for bullet-resistant vests and many other applications.
US3,819,587




Nystatin
Rachel BrownElizabeth Hazen
1952
Antifungal / antibiotic cure for many disfiguring and disabling fungal infections of the skin, mouth, throat, and intestinal tract.
US2,797,183




Oral Contraceptives
Frank Colton
1951
Enovid, the first oral contraceptive
US2,691,028




Pasteurization
Louis Pasteur
1862
Process of heating food for the purpose of killing harmful organisms such as bacteria, viruses, protozoa, molds, and yeasts.
US135,245




Peanut Products
George Washington Carver
1923
Peanut cosmetics, paints and stains.
US1,522,176US1,541,478




Penicillin Production
Andrew Moyer
1945
By culturing the penicillium mold in a culture broth comprising corn steep liquor and lactose, penicillin yields could be increased many fold
US2,442,141US2,443,989




Penicillin Production
John Sheehan
1957
The first rational total and general synthesis of natural penicillin.
US3,939,151




Pentothal
Donalee TabernErnest Volwiler
1936
General anesthetic Pentothal, one of the most important agents in modern medicine
US2,153,729




pH Meter
Arnold Beckman
1935
Apparatus for testing acidity
US2,058,761




Photography
George Eastman
1885
The first commercial film was cut in narrow strips and wound on a roller device patented by Eastman and Walker
US226,503




Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)
Kary Mullis
1983
PCR amplifies specific DNA sequences from very small amounts of complex genetic material. The amplification produces an almost unlimited number of highly purified DNA molecules suitable for analysis or manipulation. Essential for screening genetic and infectious diseases, genetics, medicine, forensics and paternity testing.
US4,683,202




Polyurethane
William HanfordDonald Holmes
1939
Process that reacts polyols and related hydroxy compounds with di-isocyanates for making the multipurpose material polyurethane. Uses: upholstery, heat-insulation, artificial hearts, safety padding in modern automobiles and carpeting.
US2,284,896




Polyvinyl Chloride (PVC)
Waldo Semon
1926
A method to plasticize PVC by blending it with various additives rendering it a more flexible and more easily processed material that soon has become the world's second-best-selling plastic.
US1,929,453US2,188,396




Prozac
Bryan MolloyKlaus Schmiegel
1974
A class of aryloxyphenylpropylamines, which includes the active ingredient in Prozac®, the most widely used antidepressant.
US4,314,081




Scotchgard (TM) Textile Protector
Patsy ShermanSamuel Smith
1956
One of the most widely used and valuable products in stain repellency and soil removal.
US3,574,791




Synthetic Rubber
Julius Nieuwland
1928
A process by which monovinylacetylene were treated with hydrogen chloride and the resulting chloroprene polymerized, neoprene would result.
US1,811,959




Synthetic Rubber
Wallace Carothers
1930
A process that enabled the large-scale production of Neoprene, the first commercially successful synthetic rubber.
US2,130,947US2,130,948




Tagamet - Cimetidine
Graham DurantJohn EmmettCharon Ganellin
1974
Tagamet is one of the world's most essential drugs for its ability to heal stomach ulcers without surgery.
US3,950,333US4,024,271




Teflon
Roy Plunkett
1938
A synthetic fluoropolymer which has an extremely low coefficient of friction against polished steel and is used as a non-stick coating for pans and other cookware. It is very non-reactive, and so is often used in containers and pipework for reactive and corrosive chemicals.
US2,230,654




Tetracycline
Lloyd Conover
1953
Tetracycline one of the most prescribed broad spectrum antibiotic and is the drug of choice for a number of serious bacterial infections.
US2,699,054




Titanium
William Kroll
1932
"Kroll Process" enables the production of metallic ductile titanium by combining titanium tetrachloride with calcium.
US2,205,854




Transparent Silica
James Hyde
1934
A process for making fused silica, an impurity-free glass, using a method called “frame hydrolysis.”
US2,272,342




Vaccine for Hepatitis B
Baruch BlumbergIrving Millman
1963
Blumberg discovered an antigen in 1963 that detected the presence of hepatitis B in blood samples. Blumberg and Millman developed later a test that identified hepatitis B in blood samples and developed a vaccine against the virus.
US3,636,191US3,872,225




Vitamins
Max Tishler
1940
Process for the synthesis of riboflavin that would permit economical, large-scale production of the essential vitamin (B2).
US2,261,608US2,404,199




Vitamins
Robert Williams
1933
Isolation of vitamin B1 (thiamine) from a syrup of rice polishings.
US2,049,988




Vulcanization of Rubber
Charles Goodyear
1839
A process by which rubber is mixed with sulfur and heated - what came to be known as vulcanization strengthened rubber. Uses: a vast variety of industrial uses, including, eventually, automobile tires.
US3,633