Wallace Carothers facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Wallace Hume Carothers
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| Born | April 27, 1896 Burlington, Iowa, U.S.
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| Died | April 29, 1937 (aged 41) Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
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| Alma mater | University of Illinois |
| Known for | Invention of neoprene and nylon |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Organic chemistry |
| Doctoral advisor | Roger Adams |
Wallace Hume Carothers (April 27, 1896 – April 29, 1937) was an American chemist and inventor. He led the organic chemistry team at DuPont. He is famous for inventing nylon, a very important synthetic material.
Carothers also helped create neoprene, which is a type of synthetic rubber. He worked at the DuPont Experimental Station laboratory in Delaware. This is where much of the research on polymers happened. After getting his Ph.D., he taught at universities before joining DuPont.
He married Helen Sweetman in 1936. Carothers faced challenges with his mood throughout his life. Even with his success in inventing nylon, he sometimes felt he hadn't achieved enough. He passed away in 1937. His daughter, Jane, was born later that year.
Contents
Early Life and School
Wallace Carothers was born on April 27, 1896, in Burlington, Iowa. He was the oldest of four children. As a child, he loved tools and machines. He spent many hours doing experiments. He went to public school in Des Moines, Iowa. People knew him as a very careful student.
After high school, he studied accounting and secretarial work. Then, in 1915, he went to Tarkio College in Missouri. He first studied English but soon switched to chemistry. His chemistry professor, Arthur Pardee, inspired him. Carothers was so good at chemistry that he became an instructor there before he even graduated!
He earned his bachelor's degree from Tarkio in 1920. Then he went to the University of Illinois for his master's degree. He received it in 1921.
First Research Work
From 1921 to 1922, Carothers taught chemistry at the University of South Dakota. Here, he started his own research. He wrote an article for a science journal about the structure of certain chemical compounds. He showed that three nitrogen atoms in one compound were in a straight line, not a ring. This was a new idea at the time.
He returned to the University of Illinois for his Ph.D. He studied under Professor Roger Adams. Carothers earned his Ph.D. in 1924. He focused on organic chemistry. He stayed at the University of Illinois for two more years as an instructor.
In 1926, Carothers moved to Harvard University. He continued teaching organic chemistry there. The president of Harvard, James B. Conant, noticed Carothers's talent. He said Carothers was very original in his research. It was at Harvard that Carothers started thinking about polymerization. This is the process of making large molecules called polymers.
In 1927, DuPont, a large chemical company, decided to invest in pure scientific research. They wanted to explore new ideas without a specific product in mind. Carothers was invited to lead the organic chemistry section at their new research lab.
Joining DuPont
It was a tough decision for Carothers to leave teaching for a company job. He first said no to DuPont's offer. He worried that his personal struggles might make it hard for him to work there. But a DuPont executive convinced him to change his mind. DuPont offered him a much higher salary than Harvard.
Carothers started working at the DuPont Experimental Station in Delaware in 1928. He chose to research polymers. This field was new and had a lot of potential for new products. His main goal was to create a polymer with a very high molecular weight.
By 1928, Carothers had a small team of talented chemists. These included his former teachers, Dr. Roger Adams and Dr. Carl Marvel. Their lab was known as "Purity Hall." At first, they found it hard to make very large polymers.
Inventing Neoprene
In 1930, Dr. Elmer K. Bolton became Carothers's boss. Bolton wanted to see practical results. He asked Carothers to work on making synthetic rubber.
In April 1930, one of Carothers's team members, Dr. Arnold M. Collins, made a new liquid. This liquid could turn into a solid material that looked like rubber. This new product was the first synthetic rubber ever made. Today, we know it as Neoprene.
Working with Polyesters
In the same year, another team member, Dr. Julian W. Hill, worked on making a type of polymer called a polyester. He successfully created a synthetic polymer with a very high molecular weight. This high weight meant the melted polymer could be stretched into long, thin fibers. This was like creating the first synthetic silk!
Polyesters are examples of condensation polymers. Carothers developed a theory about how these polymers form. He created the Carothers equation. This equation helps predict how large a polymer will get based on how much of the starting materials react.
Hill also made a strong, stretchy fiber. He combined certain chemicals and heated them. But this fiber became sticky in hot water, so it couldn't be sold. Carothers then stopped his research on these types of polymers for a few years.
Later Career and Nylon
In 1931, Carothers moved into a house in Wilmington with other DuPont scientists. He was not a loner, but his sad moods sometimes kept him from joining in activities.
In 1932, DuPont changed its research focus. They wanted "Purity Hall" to work on projects that were more directly useful to the company. This meant less pure research and more practical research. Carothers worried he wasn't good at commercial research.
Creating Polyamides
In 1934, Carothers started focusing on fibers again. This time, his team used different chemicals to make a new type of polymer called a polyamide. These polyamides were much stronger than the polyesters they had made before. They could form strong, practical synthetic fibers. This research led to the invention of many new polyamides. Dr. W. R. Peterson, Dr. Donald Coffman, and Dr. Gerard Berchet worked on this project.
The Invention of Nylon
Carothers's early work on polymers was just about exploring new chemistry. But DuPont believed that any new chemical discovery could be valuable. During his research, Carothers found some polymers that became thick liquids when heated. He noticed that if a rod was dipped into this melted polymer and pulled out, it formed a thin thread. This discovery changed the focus of the project. These threads became what we now call 'Nylon'.
On February 28, 1935, Gerard Berchet, working under Carothers, created a small amount of a specific polyamide. This polyamide was made from two chemicals: hexamethylenediamine and adipic acid. This new substance became known as Nylon. It was hard to work with because it needed very high heat to melt. But DuPont decided to develop this polyamide for commercial use. Dr. George Graves joined the project and eventually took over leading the Nylon development. Many other scientists and engineers worked to turn Nylon into a product that could be sold.
Marriage and Passing
On February 21, 1936, Carothers married Helen Sweetman. Helen had a degree in chemistry and worked for DuPont.
Soon after, on April 30, 1936, Carothers received a great honor. He became the first industrial organic chemist to be chosen for the National Academy of Sciences. This showed how important his scientific work was.
However, Carothers continued to struggle with his mood. In June 1936, he was unable to work. He took some time away to try and feel better. He even went hiking in the Alps.
On January 8, 1937, Carothers's sister Isobel passed away. Wallace and Helen traveled for her funeral.
On April 28, 1937, Carothers went to work at the Experimental Station. The next day, he was found deceased in his hotel room.
In 1982, he was honored by being inducted into the Alpha Chi Sigma Hall of Fame.
Patents
- U.S. Patent 1,995,291 "Alkylene Carbonate and Process of Making It", filed November 1929, issued March 1935
- U.S. Patent 2,012,267 "Alkylene Ester of Polybasic Acids", filed August 1929, issued August 1935
- U.S. Patent 2,071,250 "Linear Condensation Polymers", filed July 1931, issued February 1937
Images for kids
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Wallace Carothers working in the lab.
See also
In Spanish: Wallace Carothers para niños
