Department of Chemistry

The Chemistry Department at CUA was founded in 1895.   The Martin Maloney Chemistry Laboratory, now Maloney Hall, was built in November, 1917.  Maloney Hall was  named for Martin Maloney, a papal marquis from Philadelphia, Pa., who gave $120,000 for the main building and $100,000 for the auditorium. During World War I, a Chemical Warfare unit was stationed at Maloney Hall and there developed the War Gas Lewisite. This gas was first produced by Fr. Julius A. Nieuwland, C.S.C., the first Ph.D. in 1904 from the Department. He was later a Professor at the University of Notre Dame and  synthesized Neoprene or the first synthetic rubber.

A distinguished chemist, Francis O. Rice served as Chairman of the CUA Chemistry Department from 1938 to 1959  where he performed research in chemical kinetics and free radicals. 

The founder of the department, Rev. Dr. J. J. Griffin, stated that portraits of chemists helped the students to be “constantly reminded of those eminent workers who laid the foundation and aided the development of the science.” Some of his portraits of prominent chemists are located in The Hall of Chemical History in the west wing of the second floor of Maloney Hall.