Baekeland, Leo Hendrik

Baekeland, Leo Hendrik. Dictionary of American Biography, Supplement 3, 1941-45, Charles Scribnerfs Sons, New York, 1973, pp. 25-27. 

Baekeland, Leo Hendrik A scientist born in Ghent, Belgium (1863—1944), who did early work in photographic chemistry and invented Velox paper (1893). After moving to the United States, he discovered the phenol-formaldehyde plastic originally called Bakelite (1909). 

Farber E (1970) BaekelanD.Leo, Hendrik. In Dictionary of scientific biography, vol 1. Charles Scribners s Sons, New York, p 385... 

Some historians argue, however, that credit for inventing the first truly synthetic polymer should go to the Belgian-American chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944). They point out that the... 

Leo Hendrik Baekeland invents Bakelite (phenol- formaldehyde resins), used in electronic insulation... 

Kettering, C.F. (1945) Biographical Memoirs of Leo Hendrik Baekeland 1863-1944, National Academy of Sciences of USA. 

David A. Dixon is a Battelle fellow in the Fundamental Science Directorate at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL), where he previously served as associate director for theory, modeling, and simulation at the William R. Wiley Environmental Molecular Sciences Laboratory. His main research interest is the use of numerical simulation to solve complex chemical problems with a primary focus on the quantitative prediction of molecular behavior. He uses numerical simulation methods to obtain quantitative results for molecular systems of interest to experimental chemists and engineers with a specific focus on the design of new materials and production processes. Before moving to PNNL, he was research fellow and research leader in computational chemistry at DuPont Central Research and Development (1983-1995) and a member of the Chemistry Department at the University of Minnesota, Minneapolis (1977-1983). He earned his B.S. in chemistry from the California Institute of Technology and his Ph.D. in physical chemistry from Harvard University, where he served as a junior fellow of the Society of Fellows, Harvard University. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and a fellow of the American Physical Society. He is a recipient of the 1989 Leo Hendrik Baekeland Award presented by the American Chemical Society, the Federal Laboratory Consortium Technology Transfer Award (2000), and the 2003 American Chemical Society Award for Creative Work in Fluorine Chemistry. 

Kettering, Charles (1947). Leo Hendrik Baekeland. National Academy of Sciences, Biographical Memoir 24 281-302. 

Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944) discovered Bakelite while looking for a substitute for shellac in his home laboratory. He was bom in Belgium and became a professor of chemistry at the University of Ghent. A fellowship brought him to the United States in 1889, and he decided to stay. His hobby was photography, and he invented photographic paper that could be developed under artificial light. He sold the patent to Eastman-Kodak. 

Demand for phenol increased significantly in 1909 when German chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944) announced the discovery of a new synthetic material, Bake-lite, made from phenol and formaldehyde (CH20). Bakelite was the first thermosetting plastic ever discovered. A thermosetting plastic is one that, once shaped into some... 

Nor were chemists dependent upon only those giant molecules that already existed in nature. The Belgian-American chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944) was searching for a shellac substitute. For the purpose, he wanted a solution of some gummy, tarlike substance that resulted from the addition of small molecular units into a giant molecule. The small molecule is a monomer ( one part ), and the final product a polymer ( many parts ). 

Leo Hendrik Baekeland s process for the phenol-formaldehyde polycondensation resin that he called Bakelite was patented in 1907 and commercialized by his General Bakelite Company, established in Perth Amboy, New Jersey, in 1910. A British factory, a subsidiary of Bakelite s German holding company, was opened at Cowley, Middlesex, in 1914. Baekeland also coined the name Novolac, which at one time was used as the trade mark for Novolak phenol-formaldehyde resins, following his observation that they behaved like lac resins. Phenol-formaldehyde resins were found to be thermosetting (hard and unmouldable when heated), and formed by condensation ... 

Percy Reboul, Britain and the Bakelite revolution, in Mossman and Morris, op. cit. (7), pp. 26-37, and Leo Hendrik Baekeland, Impress of chemistry upon industry Bakelite, an example, Industrial and Engineering Chemistry, 27 (May 1935), 538-543, esp. p. 539. Baekeland pointed out that United States production of phenol, most of which is now made synthetically, cither from benzene-sulfonic acid or by the hydrolysis of chlorobenzene, had grown from 3,310,991 pounds in 1923 to 24,177,000 in 1929, and the average price per pound has decreased from 34 cents in 1923 to 14.25 in 1933 (p. 539), which makes an interesting comparison with the figures presented by Graesser-Thomas. 

Bakslit A trade name for certain phenol-formaldehyde resins, first introduced in i909 by the Belgian-US chemist Leo Hendrik If Baekeland (i863-i944). 

The most widely nsed formaldehyde resin is Bakelite, which is prepared from formaldehyde and phenol and was developed by Belgian chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944) between 1907 and 1909. Powdered wood was nsed as a filling material in this plastic, it was heatproof and a good insulator. Bakehte was the first plastic manufactured on an industrial scale, but—contrary to some beliefs— LP discs have never been made of it. 

The first semisynthetic polymer, celluloid, was prepared by Alexander Parkes in 1855. Adolph Spitteler and W. Kirsch prepared plastic from milk protein (casein) and formaldehyde in 1899. Buttons, handles, pens and piano keys were made from the new material and it was patented under the name Galalith (aka Erinoid in the United Kingdom). Fully synthetic Bakehte was fist formulated by Leo Hendrik Baekeland (1863-1944) in 1907, and the age of plastics began with the discovery and large-scale industrial production of vulcanized rubber (1910), PVC (1926), polystyrene (1931), synthetic robber (1931-1935), polyethylene (1933), nylon... 

He made wine from his grapes at Snug )ck and brewed his own beer both before and during the Prohibition Era. By application of his scientific knowledge of small molecules, he was able to produce wine with 18 percent alcohol and beer with 12 percent alcohol. The Memorial Resolution to Leo Hendrik Baekeland from Columbia University ends with the statement "No man knew better how to live usefiilly, triumphantly and beautifully than did Leo Baekeland."... 

The first true synthetic polymer was a thermosetting resin compounded of phenol and formaldehyde called Bakelite. It was invented by Leo Hendrik Baekeland in 1907 in an effort to find a substitute for imported natural shellac. 

Around the turn of the twentieth century, modern atomic theory wreis developed, and chemistry became a mainstream science through which new materials could be produced. Each new material engendered new apphcations, and each new application played to a demand for stiU newer materials, mostly derived from coal tar, of which a ready supply existed. The final key requirementwreis the discovery and development of polymerization. The first completely synthetic polymer, compounded from phenol and formaldehyde, was developed in 1907 by Belgian chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland. It proved to be the elusive material needed to expedite the mass production of consumer goods. Soon, many other new materials were created from polymerization, which led to the development of the modem plastics industry. These versatile resin materials were used in a variety of applications, from the synthetic fibers used to make cloth to essential structural components of modern space and aircraft. 

Industrial applications of plastic materials were limited to the use of natural resins until the accidental discovery of nitrocellulose. A semisynthetic resin formed by the nitration of cellulose (from cotton), nitrocellulose exhibited many of the properties of thermoplastic polymers and eventually became the basis of the celluloid industry. In 1884, George Eastman, founder of the Eastman Kodak Company, began to mechanically produce celluloid in thin flexible sheets through a process invented by Belgian chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland. This celluloid film became the basis for the photography industry. 

Bakelite (Leo Hendrik Baekeland) Bakehte is the first tough, durable plastic. 

The first automatic tea-making machine is invented by A. E. Richardson Ductile tungsten wire is S5mthesized by Coolidge Leo Hendrik Baekeland invents Bakefite (phenol-formaldehyde resins), used in electronic insulation... 

Bakelite was the first truly synthetic polymer to be produced and was trademarked in 1907 by Belgian scientist Leo Hendrik Baekeland. This new material was formed from a combination of phenol and formaldehyde and as an early plastic enjoyed wide use in a variety of applications, from household objects, knobs, and radio casings to costume jewelry and telephones. The new plastic was hard wearing and chemically resistant. It could be infused with filler materials such as sawdust or fabric and easily molded to the desired shape. Nylon was another early and hugely successful polymer. Developed in the 1930s, this extremely durable and malleable polymer was particularly useful during World War II for its ability to be drawn into very strong fibers for parachute production. 

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