Edith M. Flanigen facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Edith Marie Flanigen
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Edith Flanigen receives the National Medal of Technology from U.S. President Barack Obama on November 20, 2014
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Edith Marie Flanigen
January 28, 1929 Buffalo, New York, U.S.
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| Alma mater | D'Youville College Syracuse University (M.S.) |
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| Fields | Chemistry |
| Institutions | Union Carbide, UOP |
Edith Marie Flanigen (born January 28, 1929) is a famous American chemist. She is known for her work on making artificial emeralds. She also created special materials called zeolites for molecular sieves at Union Carbide.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Edith Marie Flanigen was born on January 28, 1929, in Buffalo, New York. Her high school teacher first introduced her and her two sisters, Joan and Jane, to chemistry. All three sisters later studied chemistry at D'Youville College. Edith Flanigen was the president of her graduating class and the top student.
Both Joan and Edith earned master's degrees in chemistry from Syracuse University in 1952. In 2008, Syracuse University gave Edith an honorary doctorate degree.
A Career in Chemistry
In 1952, Edith Flanigen started working at the Union Carbide company. Her first job was to find, clean, and remove different silicone materials. In 1956, she joined the team that worked on molecular sieves.
Edith made history at Union Carbide. In 1973, she became the first woman to be named a corporate research fellow. Later, in 1986, she became a senior corporate research fellow. In 1988, she moved to UOP, a company that was a partnership between Union Carbide and Allied Signal. There, she was named a senior research fellow. Flanigen was promoted to UOP Fellow in 1991.
Edith Flanigen retired from UOP in 1994. Even after retiring, she continued to work as a consultant for UOP until at least 2004.
During her 42-year career with Union Carbide, Edith Flanigen invented more than 200 different artificial substances. She also wrote or helped write over 36 scientific papers. She was given at least 109 patents for her inventions.
Amazing Chemistry Discoveries
In 1956, Flanigen began working on molecular sieves. These are crystal compounds with tiny holes, like a sieve. They can filter or separate very complex substances.
Edith Flanigen is most famous for inventing zeolite Y. This is a special type of molecular sieve. Zeolite Y was very important because it could help refine crude oil, also known as petroleum. It was even better than an earlier type called Zeolite X.
When oil is refined, it needs to be separated into all its different parts, called fractions. Gasoline is one of these many parts. Flanigen's zeolites are used as catalysts. A catalyst is a substance that speeds up or improves chemical reactions. Zeolite Y is a catalyst that helps get more gasoline from petroleum. This makes refining oil safer and more effective.
Besides her work on molecular sieves, Flanigen also helped invent an artificial emerald. Union Carbide made and sold these emeralds for many years. The emeralds were mainly used in masers, which were early versions of lasers. For a while, they were even used in jewelry, in a collection called the "Quintessa Collection."
Honors and Awards
Flanigen has received many awards and honors for her work. In 1992, she was the first woman to receive the Perkin Medal. In 2004, she was also added to the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
In 2014, the Edith Flanigen Award was created. It is given each year to a talented female scientist who is just starting her career. The first award went to Natacha Krins for her work.
In 2012, Flanigen was given the National Medal of Technology and Innovation. On November 20, 2014, President Barack Obama personally gave her this medal. It was for her important contributions to science.
Key Awards
- 1991 Chemical Pioneer Award
- 1992 Perkin Medal (first female recipient)
- 1993 Garvan Medal
- 2004 National Inventors Hall of Fame
- 2004 Lemelson–MIT Lifetime Achievement Award
- 2012 National Medal of Technology and Innovation
See also
In Spanish: Edith M. Flanigen para niños
