Famous Chemists - List of Famous Chemists - page 9
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 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Name | Birthday | Nationality | Bio |
| Henry Cavendish | October 10, 1731 | British | Henry Cavendish was a theoretical chemist and physicist, renowned for discovery of hydrogen and calculation of the mass of earth |
| Walter Kohn | March 9, 1923 | Austrian | Nobel Laureate Walter Kohn was an Austrian-born American theoretical chemist and physicist |
| Jabir Ibn Hayyan | 721 | Iranian | Jabir Ibn Hayyan was a medieval era polymath |
| Stephanie Kwolek | July 31, 1923 | American | Stephanie Kwolek was an American chemist whose research work led to the development of the synthetic fiber, Kevlar |
| Amedeo Avogadro | August 9, 1776 | Italian | Amedeo Avogadro was an Italian scientist who formulated what is now known as Avogadro's law |
| Humphry Davy | December 17, 1778 | British | Sir Humphry Davy was a British chemist who made major contributions to the discoveries of chlorine and iodine |
| Willard Libby | December 17, 1908 | American | Willard Frank Libby was an American physical chemist who was awarded the ‘Nobel Prize’ in Chemistry in 1960 |
| Mario J. Molina | March 19, 1943 | Mexican | Mario Molina is a Nobel Prize winning chemist from Mexico who co-developed the theory of ozone depletion due to CFCs |
| Robert Bunsen | March 30, 1811 | German | Robert Bunsen was a German chemist who developed the Bunsen burner with Peter Desaga |
| Marie Curie | November 7, 1867 | Polish | Marie Curie was a Physicist and Chemist, who was world renowned for her work on radioactivity |
Otto Wallach
Otto Wallach was a German chemist who won the 1910 Nobel Prize in chemistry for his work on alicyclic compounds
Eduard Buchner
Eduard Buchner was a German chemist and a zymologist who won the 1907 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Adolf von Baeyer
Adolf von Baeyer was a well-known German chemist who synthesized indigo
Henri Moissan
Ferdinand Frederick Henri Moissan was a French Chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1936
Paul Sabatier
Paul Sabatier was a French organic chemist known for his research works in catalytic organic synthesis
Stephanie Kwolek
Stephanie Kwolek was an American chemist whose research work led to the development of the synthetic fiber, Kevlar
Leo Baekeland
Leo Henricus Arthur Baekeland was a Belgian-American chemist well-known for his discovery of photographic paper Velox and polymeric plastic Bakelite.
Percy Lavon Julian
Percy Lavon Julian was an internationally reputed scientist who undertook pioneering research work in chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs from plants
Wilhelm Ostwald
Wilhelm Ostwald was a famous scientist who is credited with discovery of Ostwald Process for manufacture of nitric acid
William Ramsay
William Ramsay was a Nobel Prize winning chemist who discovered the ‘noble gases’