Stine, Charles

Even more than the Depression, personnel changes at Du Pont radically altered Carothers ability to do basic research. The visionary Charles Stine had been promoted, and his successor was Elmer K. Bolton, the chemist who had recognized the importance of Neoprene. Bolton, a former postdoctoral student of Richard Willstatter in Germany, had helped establish Du Pont s successful synthetic dyestuff division and had participated in the decision to manufacture Midgley s tetraethyl lead. Bolton believed fervently in applied research and had opposed Stine s original proposal for a basic research program at Du Pont. Bolton quickly ended Purity Hall s special status. 

Letters to and from Carothers, Charles M. A. Stine, Arthur P. Tanberg, and Hamilton Bradshaw outline Du Pont s job offer, Carothers consideration of it Carothers outline of his research plan Carothers planning polymer experiments 75 pounds of mercury few purified chemicals little known about polymers course of action outlined little fantastic his interest in rubber dates of some events. . . and ordering supplies. These documents are contained in HML 1896 and HML Acc. 1784, Box 18. 

The Executive Committee of DuPont authorized a pilot plant on January 1938, which took 6 months to build and another 6 months to provide sufficient data to help in the construction of a commercial plant. In October 1938, the Executive Committee allocated 8.5 million to build a 4 million pound a year plant at Seaford Delaware, which began operation in January 1940. Charles Stine announced this new product... 

John K. Smith, Developing a Discipline Chemical Engineering Research at Du Pont, in David A. Hounshell and J. K. Smith, Science and Corporate Strategy Du Pont R D, 1902-1980, Chapter 14, Cambridge University Press, New York, 1988 (kindly made available in advance of publication) Charles M. A. Stine, Chemical Engineering in Modem Industry, Trans. AIChE 21,45-54 (1928). 

Stuart L. Cooper has been professor in the William G. Lowrie Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering at Ohio State since 2004. He has published over 3S0 papers and coauthored two books on polyurethane biomaterials. Among his awards are the Clemson Award for Basic Research of the Society for Biomaterials, the Charles M. A. Stine award of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and Founders Awards from the Society for Biomaterials and AlChE. He is also a member of the National Academy of Engineering (NAE). 

Charles M. A. Stine, Coordination of Laboratory and Plant Effort, lEC 24 (February 1932) 191-92 Hounshell and Smith, Science and Corporate Strategy, 51, 104. 

Stine, 1928. Charles M. A. Stine. Chemical Engineering in Modern Industry . Transactions of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers 21 45-54. 

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