May
1
b. 1493
Paracelsus or Theophrastus Bombast von Hohenheim founded new
school of chemistry, iatrochemistry, which is the application of chemistry to
medicine; believed that the four elements (air, water, earth, & fire) were
present in substances as three principles: mercury (volatility and fusibility),
sulfur (inflammability), and salt (incombustibility); developed cure for St.
Vitus Disease.
b. 182 4 Alexander W. Williamson, researcher
on alcohols & ethers; first to suggest the intermediate compound theory of
catalysis with Kay; synthesized ethylene glycol.
2
b. 1876 Austin
McD. Patterson, leader in the field of chemical nomenclature.
b. 1922 George
Claude Pimentel, researcher in the development of chemical lasers,
matrix isolation techniques and rapid scan infrared spectroscopy.
? BF Goodrich
Co. incorporated, 1912.
? Pennsylvania
and Lehigh Zinc Company was incorporated, 1855.
3
??5/2b. 1852
Frank A. Gooch, developed filter crucible, electrolytic estimations of
metals, & distillation for estimating boric acid.
b. 1895 Herman F. Mark, "Father
of polymer chemistry"; developed process for production of styrene from
ethylbenzene.
4
b. 1777 Louis
J. Thenard discovered hydrogen peroxide & Thenard's blue used
in coloring porcelain; showed that caustic soda & potash contained hydrogen
& oxygen; researcher with chlorine & alkali metals; discovered
potassium & sodium peroxides.
b. 1844 Wilbur O. Atwater, one of the
inventors of Atwater‑Rosa‑Benedict respiration calorimeter; established
the first agricultural experimental station in the United States at Wesleyan College; determined
the chemical composition and nutritive values of fish and animal tissues.
b. 1876 Arthur
A. Blanchard, researcher on metal carbonyls & other inorganic compounds.
? Acetylene
made by T. L. Willson of Spray, SC, 1892.
5
b. 1811 John
W. Draper, pioneer in photography; improved on Daguerre's process, first ACS
president.
? Louis Pasteur tests inoculations against anthrax from attenuated
bacilli on 24 sheep and other animals, 1881.
Proctor &
Gamble Co. incorporated, 1905.
? Albert
Ghiorso, et al., announced the discovery of nobelium (No, 102) based on work
done at University of California, Berkeley, 1958.
? One of the
most cited papers ?The first practical method for asymmetric epoxidation? by T.
Katsuki and E. B. Sharpless (J. Am. Chem. Soc., 1980, 102,
5974-5976) was received, 1980.
6
b. 1635 Johann
Joachim Becher, phlogiston theorist; considered matter made of four
principles: water and three ?earths?,
vitreous, combustible, and mercurial.
b. 1742 Jean Senebier showed that
green plants in light converted 'fixed air' (carbon dioxide) to
'dephlogisticated air' (oxygen).
b. 1859 Julius
B. Cohen, researcher on the laws of aromatic substitutions & optical
activity.
b. 1871 F. Victor Grignard developed
magnesium reagent used in organic chemistry; Nobel Prize (1912) for the discovery of the so-called Grignard reagent, which in recent
years has greatly advanced the progress of organic chemistry; shared the
prize with Paul Sabatier who received it because for his method
of hydrogenating organic compounds in the presence of finely disintegrated
metals whereby the progress of organic chemistry has been greatly advanced in
recent years.
7
b. 1909 Edwin H. Land developed a
light polarizing material called Polaroid and color photography system;
invented Polaroid Land camera; founded Polaroid Corporation.
b. 1939 Sid Altman proved that
ribonucleic acid (RNA) can act as catalyst in cell; Nobel Prize (1989) with
Thomas R. Cech for their discovery of catalytic
properties of RNA.
8
b. 1871
Richard B. Moore advocated helium for ballons & dirigibles;
supervised production of radium salts in US.
b. 1873 Nevil
V. Sidgwick, researcher on molecular structure & theory of
valency; bonding in coordination compounds; investigated phase equilibria and
the solubility of organic acids and bases.
b. 1855
Bohuslav Brauner, researcher in the chemistry of tellurium & the
rare earths; predicted the existence of element No. 61 [Pm].
9
b. 1877 James
C. Irvine, researcher on chemistry of sugars.
b. 1927 Manfred Eigen, shared
Nobel Prize (1967) with Ronald George Wreyford Norrish and George Porter for
their studies of extremely fast chemical reactions, effected by disturbing the
equilibrium by means of very short pulses of energy
10
b. 1830
François M. Raoult discovered law (Raoult's Law) that vapor pressure of a
solution is proportional to the number of molecules per unit volume in the
solution.
b. 1850 Edward
Weston, improved nickel plating.
? Robert
Bunsen & Gustav R. Kirchhoff announced the discovery of cesium (Cs, 55),
1860.
11
b. 1904 Donald
F. Othmer, chemical engineer; developer of Othmer still; co-founder & editor
of the Kirk-Othmer Encylopedia of Chemical Technology.
12
b. 1803 Justus
von Liebig, "Father of Agricultural Chemistry";
perfected methods for quantitative organic analysis; Liebig condenser; divided
foods into fats, carbohydrates & protein.
b. 1895
William F. Giauque, Nobel Prize (1949) for his
contributions in thermodynamics, particularly concerning behavior of substances
at extremely low temperatures.
b. 1910
Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin determined the structure of Vitamin B12,
using x-rays; Nobel Prize (1964) for her determinations by X-ray techniques
of the structures of important biochemical substances.
13
? The first state
agricultural college Agricultural College of Michigan opened in Lansing, MI,
1857.
14
?
The
patent application for for commercial condensed milk was made by Gail Borden,
1853.
? The name ?vaseline? for petroleum jelly was
given a trademark, 1878.
15
b. 1859 Pierre
Curie codiscovered polonium (Po, 84) & radium (Ra, 88), with Marie
Curie; discovered phenonemon of piezoelectricity; Nobel Prize (1903) in Physics
with Marie Curie. In recognition of the extraordinary services they have rendered by their
joint researches on the radiation phenomena discovered by Professor Henri
Becquerel.
? Edward
Jenner inoculated boy with cowpox virus, 1796.
16
b. 1763
Nicolas‑Louis Vauquelin discovered chromium (Cr, 24), 1797,
& beryllium (Be, 4), 1798.
17
b.
1836 Joseph N. Lockyer discovered helium (He, 2) in the Sun, 1868. Pierre J. C. Janssen
simultaneously observed this.
b.
1897 Odd Hassel
researched molecular structure of cyclohexane and derivatives, charge-transfer
compounds, and rules for geometry of charge-transfer compounds; Nobel Prize
(1969) with Derek H. R. Barton for their
contributions to the development of the concept of conformation and its
application in chemistry.
18
b. 1889
Thomas Midgley, Jr.,
introduced tetraethyllead as anti‑knock agent in gasoline; researcher on
organic chlorofluorides as refrigerants.
b. 1901
Vincent du Vigneaud studied sulfur containing proteins, including
insulin, etc.; researched transmethylation and metabolism of single carbon
compounds; Nobel Prize (1955) for his work on biochemically important sulphur
compounds, especially for the first synthesis of a polypeptide hormone. (1901-1978)
? Dow Chemical
Co., incorporated, 1897.
19
b. 1916 Ralph
Landau cofounded Scientific Design in 1946 and led in the development of of
terephthalic acid process in polyester manufacture and the propylene oxide
process.
b. 1914 Max F.
Perutz studied structure of hemoproteins using x-ray diffraction: Nobel Prize
(1962) with John C. Kendrew for studies of the structure of globular proteins.
20
b. 1857 John
J. Abel, "Father of American Pharmacology", isolated epinephrine
(adrenalin).
b. 1879 Hans
Meerwein, researcher on carbonium ions including anionic polymerizations and
Wagner-Meerwein rearrangements.
b. 1890
Francis O. Rice, researcher in free radicals.
21
b. 1860 Eduard
Büchner discovered alcoholic fermentation without yeast cells, 1896, &
zymase, 1897; invented Büchner Funnel; Nobel Prize (1907) for his biochemical
researches and his discovery of cell‑free fermentation.
b. 1936
Gϋnter Blobel received Nobel Prize in Medicine and Physiology in 1999
for discovery that proteins have intrinsic signals that govern their transport
and location in the cell.
? Occidential
Petroleum incorporated. 1920.
22
b. 1912 Herbert C. Brown, researcher
in organoboron and carbocation chemistry; Nobel Prize (1979) with Georg Wittig for their
development of the use of boron and phosphorus-containing compounds,
respectively, into important reagents in organic synthesis.
b. 1927 George
A. Olah, researcher in carbocations and their role in chemical reactions of
hydrocarbons; Nobel Prize (1994) for his
contribution to carbocation chemistry.
23
b. 1854 Edgar
Fahs Smith, researcher in electrochemistry and history of
chemistry; Three times President of ACS.
24
b. 1686
Gabriel D. Fahrenheit improved thermometers by using mercury (Hg, 80) 1720;
invented Fahrenheit temperature scale.
b. 1640 John
Mayow discovered that air contained two gases, one of which supported life
& combustion, spiritus nitro-aerous (oxygen); recognized
the role of oxygen in the combustion of metals; recorded a correct anatomical
description of respiration
? Aaron Dexter
appointed first Professor of Chemistry & Materia Medica at newly organized
Harvard Medical School, 1783.
25
b. 1865 Pieter
Zeeman studied the influence of magnetism on the nature of radiation,
splitting of spectral lines (Zeeman Effect); Nobel Prize (1902) in Physics with
Hendrik A. Lorentz in recognition of the extraordinary
service they rendered by their researches into the influence of magnetism upon
radiation phenomena.
b. 1915 Paul
J. Scheuer ?father of marine natural
products?.
26
b. 1865 Max
Julius Louis Le Blanc, research on electrochemical polarization and
electrodes; introduced the hydrogen electrode.
b. 1904 John
C. Bailar, Jr., discovered optical inversion & explained
stereospecificity in complex inorganic reactions.
b. 1895 Helen
Marie Dyer, who did research on chemotherapy, was born on this
day. She received an award from ACS in recognition of distinguished service by
a female. She was the oldest member of CSW when she died at the age of 103.
27
b. 1840 Lars
F. Nilson discovered scandium (Sc, 21), 1879.
b. 1857
Theodor Curtius, researcher in chemistry of hydrazines and azides;
Curtius rearrangement.
b. 1909 Mary
Fieser researcher on quinones, natural products, and steroids; coauthored
texts in organic chemistry with her husband.
28
b. 1887 Kasmir
Fajans established radioactive displacement law & initiated concept of
heat of hydration of gaseous ions.
29
b. 1781 Henri
Braconnot, isolated glucose from plant material such as sawdust, linen or bark
by boiling in acid; prepared ?xyloidine?, a precursor for plastics, by treating
starch, sawdust, and cotton with nitric acid.
b. 1794
Antoine A. B. Bussy isolated magnesium (Mg, 12), 1828.
? General
Electric Corp. announced synthesis of gem‑grade diamonds, 1970.
30
? William
Ramsay and Morris W. Travers, discovered krypton (Kr, 36), 1898.
31
b. 1912 Julius
Axelrod, researcher on catecholamines; Nobel Prize in Medicine or Physiology (1970) with B.
Katz and U. Von Euler for discoveries concerning humoral transmittors in the
nerve terminals and the mechanism for their storage, release and inactivation.
b. 1941 Louis J. Ignarro shared the
Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine (1998) with Robert F. Furchgott and Ferid Murad for their discoveries concerning nitric
oxide as a signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system.