Famous Chemists - List of Famous Chemists - page 4

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
Georg Wittig

Georg Wittig

Georg Wittig was a German chemist who won a share of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1979

GermanJune 16, 1897161 views

Paul Flory

Paul Flory was an American chemist considered as the founder of the science of polymers

AmericanJune 19, 1910133 views

William Lipscomb

William Lipscomb was an American chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1976

Giulio Natta

Giulio Natta was an Italian chemist who won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

ItalianFebruary 25, 1903149 views

Karl Ziegler

Karl Waldemar Ziegler was a German Chemist who won the 1963 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

GermanNovember 26, 1898110 views

Geoffrey Wilkinson

Sir Geoffrey Wilkinson was an English chemist and educator who was jointly awarded the ‘Nobel Prize in Chemistry’ in 1973

BritishJuly 14, 1921152 views

Ernst Otto Fischer

Ernst Otto Fischer was a German chemist and educator who was jointly awarded the ‘Nobel Prize in Chemistry’ in 1973

GermanNovember 10, 191896 views

Gerhard Herzberg

Gerhard Herzberg was a Germany-born Canadian physicist who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1971

CanadianDecember 25, 1904113 views

William Christopher Zeise

William Christopher Zeise was a Danish organic chemist who discovered the Zeise’s salt

DanishOctober 15, 1789128 views

Robert S. Mulliken

Robert Sanderson Mulliken was an American physicist and chemist who received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1966 for his work on the structure of molecules

AmericanJune 7, 1896149 views