Hydrocarbon Processing - April 2022 - 60

Industry Pioneers
HERMAN SCHNELL
Dr. Hermann Schnell was a German scientist
at Bayer who discovered the synthesis
reaction of a new plastic-polycarbonate
from co-monomers bisphenol A
and phosgene. The new thermoplastic
polymer-polycarbonate-has superior
strength, toughness and impact resistance.
Despite its resistance to breaking
and splintering, it is lightweight, mostly
optically transparent and can be easily molded or thermoformed.
Unlike most thermoplastics, it can undergo large plastic
deformations without cracking or breaking. With these properties,
it is used in a variety of daily applications such as construction
materials; electronic, auto, aircraft and security components;
and optical lenses.16
Schnell studied under Nobel laureate and chemist Herman
Staudinger. Soon after graduating, he joined the research and
development department at Bayer AG, Leverkusen, Germany.
Shortly thereafter, he moved to the lab at Uerdingen where he
and his research team discovered the synthesis reaction of polycarbonate.
The official patent for polycarbonate synthesis was
granted in 1953 and was registered under the brand name Makrolon®
on April 2, 1955.17
Bayer started industrial-scale production
of Makrolon® at its plant in Uerfingen, Germany in 1958.17
Schnell became the department leader at Bayer research at
just 36 yr of age and was appointed department head of Bayer's
entire central research facility in Leverkusen in 1971. He retired
from Bayer in 1975.17
FREDERICK W. STAVELY
Frederick W. Stavely was a chemical research scientist who is
credited with the discovery of polyisoprene. Stavely was a researcher
at the Firestone Tire & Rubber Co in 1953 where, while
investigating the reaction of butyl lithium on butadiene, he discovered
that the polymerization of isoprene with metallic lithium
produced polyisoprene with high cis content. High cis content is
indicative of enhanced strain crystallization, which is closer to
natural rubber, also with high cis content. This discovery was
important during WW2 because other synthetic compounds did
not exhibit the crystallization effect that was achieved in Stavely's
process. Stavely served as Chairman of the American Chemical
Society Rubber Division. In 1972, Stavely received the Charles
Goodyear Medal in recognition of this discovery.19
EDITH MARIE FLANIGEN
Edith Marie Flanigen, an American
chemist, is known for her synthesis of zeolites
for molecular sieves. Molecular
sieves are crystalline microporous structures
with large internal void volumes
and molecular-sized pores that can separate
or filter complex mixtures, as well as
function as catalysts for chemical reactions.
These compounds find numerous
applications in the refining and petrochemical industries.
60 APRIL 2022 | HydrocarbonProcessing.com
Flanigen joined Union Carbide in 1952 and began working
on molecular sieves in 1956.20
During her 42-yr career at Union
Carbide and UOP, Flanigen invented or co-invented more than
200 novel synthetic materials but is best known for her substantial
contributions to the development of zeolite Y, an aluminosilicate
sieve used to make oil refining more efficient, cleaner
and safer.21
Zeolite Y is essentially employed in the cracking
of crude oil to produce commercially valuable products like
gasoline and diesel in a cleaner and more efficient manner. Her
invention finds application in purification and contaminant removal
and can be used to make ethylene and propylene, which
are important raw materials to the petrochemical industry.
Besides her work on molecular sieves, Flanigen co-invented
a synthetic emerald and pioneered the use of mid-infrared spectroscopy
for analyzing zeolite structures. She has been quoted
to say that one of her strengths throughout her career has been
her ability to discover new material and see it through to commercialization,
from envisioning processes for manufacturing it
on a large scale to developing it for industrial application.
Flanigen became the first woman to hold the position of Senior
Corporate Research Fellow at Union Carbide in 1982. She
retired in 1994 with 108 U.S. patents in the field of petroleum
research and product development.21, 22
In 1992, she became the first woman to receive the prestigious
Perkin medal, the most distinguished honor in applied
chemistry.22
Lemelson-MIT Lifetime Achievement Award in 2004 and was
inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in the same
year.22
National Medal of Technology and Innovation for her contributions
to science and technology.22
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Hydrocarbon Processing would like to thank several institutions, companies
and websites for the use of archived images of industry pioneers. These include
the National Inventors Hall of Fame, the MIT Museum, the Plastics Hall of Fame
and The Nobel Prize.
LITERATURE CITED
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
Wikipedia, " Fluid catalytic cracking, " online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
Fluid_catalytic_cracking
National Inventors Hall of fame, " Charles W. Tyson, " online: https://www.invent.
org/inductees/charles-w-tyson
National Inventors Hall of fame, " Donald L. Campbell, " online: https://www.
invent.org/inductees/donald-l-campbell
National Inventors Hall of fame, " Eger V. Murphree, " online: https://www.invent.
org/inductees/eger-v-murphree
National Inventors Hall of fame, " Homer Z. Martin, " online: https://www.invent.
org/inductees/homer-z-martin
National Inventors Hall of fame, " Robert Banks, " online: https://www.invent.
org/inductees/robert-banks
ACS, chemical landmarks, polypropylene, online: https://www.acs.org/content/
acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/polypropylene.html
National inventors Hall of fame, " J. Paul Hogan, " online: https://www.invent.org/
inductees/j-paul-hogan
Wikipedia, " J. Paul Hogan, " online: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Paul_
Hogan
10 Wikipedia, " Karl Ziegler, " online https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Ziegler
11
12
13
The Nobel Prize, " Karl Ziegler-biographical, " online: https://www.nobelprize.
org/prizes/chemistry/1963/ziegler/biographical/
Britannica, " Karl Ziegler, " online: https://www.britannica.com/biography/KarlZiegler
Britannica,
" Giulio Natta, " online: https://www.britannica.com/biography/
Giulio-Natta
Complete literature cited available online at www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com.
Flanigen was the recipient of the $100,000
In 2014, President Obama presented Flanigen with the

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_catalytic_cracking https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fluid_catalytic_cracking https://www.invent.org/inductees/charles-w-tyson https://www.invent.org/inductees/charles-w-tyson https://www.invent.org/inductees/donald-l-campbell https://www.invent.org/inductees/donald-l-campbell https://www.invent.org/inductees/eger-v-murphree https://www.invent.org/inductees/eger-v-murphree https://www.invent.org/inductees/homer-z-martin https://www.invent.org/inductees/homer-z-martin https://www.invent.org/inductees/robert-banks https://www.invent.org/inductees/robert-banks https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/polypropylene.html https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/polypropylene.html https://www.invent.org/inductees/j-paul-hogan https://www.invent.org/inductees/j-paul-hogan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Paul_Hogan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J._Paul_Hogan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karl_Ziegler https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1963/ziegler/biographical/ https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1963/ziegler/biographical/ https://www.britannica.com/biography/Karl-Ziegler https://www.britannica.com/biography/Karl-Ziegler https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giulio-Natta https://www.britannica.com/biography/Giulio-Natta http://www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com http://www.HydrocarbonProcessing.com

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