Famous Chemists - List of Famous Chemists - page 11

Chemists are the scientists who specialize in the field of chemistry. They investigate the chemical nature of substances and how they behave under different conditions to search for new knowledge. Compounds, both organic and inorganic, are examined to determine their chemical and physical properties, composition, structure, and reactivity. Chemists try to decode the details of the chemical molecules and their component atoms. The knowledge gained through research is used to understand the composition and properties of unknown substances, and is used in practical applications in industries. Since chemicals play a vital role in virtually all types of industries, chemists are employed in various industrial establishments, especially those dealing in plastics, medicines, pharmaceuticals, and chemical industries. They also work in research and in university teaching positions. Newer discoveries and findings in the field of chemistry lead to the development of better products, processes and analytical methods. Chemistry is a vast field divided into several overlapping sub-branches: analytical chemistry, biochemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry, etc. Chemists primarily work in laboratories and use a variety of techniques in their research like spectroscopy, chromatography, and spectrophotometry. Read on to discover about the life and works of various famous chemists, through their biographies and timelines, from all over the world.

The Most Famous Chemists

NameBirthdayNationalityBio
Henry CavendishOctober 10, 1731BritishHenry Cavendish was a theoretical chemist and physicist, renowned for discovery of hydrogen and calculation of the mass of earth
Walter KohnMarch 9, 1923AustrianNobel Laureate Walter Kohn was an Austrian-born American theoretical chemist and physicist
Jabir Ibn Hayyan721IranianJabir Ibn Hayyan was a medieval era polymath
Stephanie KwolekJuly 31, 1923AmericanStephanie Kwolek was an American chemist whose research work led to the development of the synthetic fiber, Kevlar
Amedeo AvogadroAugust 9, 1776ItalianAmedeo Avogadro was an Italian scientist who formulated what is now known as Avogadro's law
Humphry DavyDecember 17, 1778BritishSir Humphry Davy was a British chemist who made major contributions to the discoveries of chlorine and iodine
Willard LibbyDecember 17, 1908AmericanWillard Frank Libby was an American physical chemist who was awarded the ‘Nobel Prize’ in Chemistry in 1960
Mario J. MolinaMarch 19, 1943MexicanMario Molina is a Nobel Prize winning chemist from Mexico who co-developed the theory of ozone depletion due to CFCs
Robert BunsenMarch 30, 1811GermanRobert Bunsen was a German chemist who developed the Bunsen burner with Peter Desaga
Marie CurieNovember 7, 1867PolishMarie Curie was a Physicist and Chemist, who was world renowned for her work on radioactivity
Arnold Orville Beckman

Arnold Orville Beckman

Arnold Orville Beckman was a renowned inventor and chemist who invented the world’s first pH meter and spectrometer

AmericanApril 10, 1900164 views

Antoine Lavoisier

Antoine Lavoisier was a famous French chemist, known for his extraordinary research on oxygen and combustion

FrenchAugust 26, 1743189 views

Hermann Emil Fischer

Emil Fischer was a Nobel Prize winning chemist from Germany who is known for inventing the ‘Fischer Projection’ method

GermanOctober 9, 1852264 views

Henry Cavendish

Henry Cavendish was a theoretical chemist and physicist, renowned for discovery of hydrogen and calculation of the mass of earth

BritishOctober 10, 1731967 views

Humphry Davy

Sir Humphry Davy was a British chemist who made major contributions to the discoveries of chlorine and iodine

BritishDecember 17, 1778379 views

Vladimir Prelog

Vladimir Prelog was a famous Zürich-based chemist, who won the ‘Nobel Prize’ for his work on stereochemistry

SwissJuly 23, 1906168 views

Paul Walden

Paul Walden was a Latvian-German chemist who is known for his path-breaking invention known as Walden inversion

GermanJuly 26, 1863146 views

Aaron Klug

Aaron Klug, a chemist and biophysicist, won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry

BritishAugust 11, 1926191 views

James Young (Chemist)

James Young was a Scottish Chemist

ScottishJuly 13, 1811110 views