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Chemical Engineering

Chemical Engineering

Chemical engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with designing and operating processes that convert raw materials into useful products through chemical, physical and biological transformation, at a scale ranging from the laboratory bench to the industrial plant. It grew out of industrial chemistry in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, as chemists and mechanical engineers combined their skills to design continuous, large scale production processes rather than one off batches.

Facts
Core Concern
Converting raw materials into useful products through chemical and physical processes at scale. 1
Core Principle
Chemical engineering applies chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology and economics together to design, produce, transport and transform energy and materials efficiently at industrial scale. 2
Disputed
Origin Year
1888 3
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology introduced the first dedicated course of study in chemical engineering in 1888; the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, the discipline first professional body, followed in 1908.
Chemical Engineering
Filter Results54 entries

Alkylation

Chemical Engineering

Autoclave

Chemical Engineering

Bakelite

Chemical Engineering

Bomb

Chemical Engineering

Bunsen Burner

Chemical Engineering

Catalytic Reforming

Chemical Engineering

Cellophane

Chemical Engineering

Cellulose Acetate

Chemical Engineering

Chlor-Alkali Process

Chemical Engineering

Contact Process

Chemical Engineering

Distillation

Chemical Engineering

Dynamite

Chemical Engineering

Electrodialysis

Chemical Engineering

Electrolysis

Chemical Engineering

Emulsion Polymerization

Chemical Engineering

Film Tinting

Chemical Engineering

Fireworks

Chemical Engineering

Fischer-Tropsch Process

Chemical Engineering

Fluidized Bed Reactor

Chemical Engineering

Freeze Drying

Chemical Engineering

Fuel Cell

Chemical Engineering

Gas Mask

Chemical Engineering

Greek fire

Chemical Engineering

Gunpowder

Chemical Engineering

Haber-Bosch Process

Chemical Engineering

Hydrocracking

Chemical Engineering

Hydrogenation

Chemical Engineering

Ion Exchange

Chemical Engineering

Kraft Process

Chemical Engineering

Lighter

Chemical Engineering

Lithography

Chemical Engineering

Mass Spectrometer

Chemical Engineering

Mauveine

Chemical Engineering

Nanofiltration

Chemical Engineering

Ostwald Process

Chemical Engineering

Papermaking

Chemical Engineering

Pervaporation

Chemical Engineering

Photographic Film

Chemical Engineering

Polyvinyl Chloride

Chemical Engineering

Polywater

Chemical Engineering

Rayon

Chemical Engineering

Reverse Osmosis

Chemical Engineering

Solvay Process

Chemical Engineering

Solvent Extraction

Chemical Engineering

Soxhlet Extractor

Chemical Engineering

Steam Cracking

Chemical Engineering

Steam Reforming

Chemical Engineering

Supercritical Fluid Extraction

Chemical Engineering

Synthetic Rubber

Chemical Engineering

Teflon

Chemical Engineering

Thermal Cracking

Chemical Engineering

Ultrafiltration

Chemical Engineering

Vulcanization

Chemical Engineering

Ziegler-Natta Catalyst

Chemical Engineering
FAQs

Is chemical engineering the same as chemistry?

No. A chemist studies chemical reactions and substances at the laboratory scale. A chemical engineer takes a reaction a chemist has characterized and designs the industrial-scale process, the reactors, separation equipment, piping and control systems, that turns raw materials into a useful product safely, economically and at volume. Chemical engineering draws on chemistry as one of several foundational sciences, alongside physics, mathematics and increasingly biology, but its core work is process design and scale-up rather than discovering new reactions.
Connections

Associated With

Aerogel, Materials
Source Aerogel (Wikipedia)
Source Agricultural Engineering (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors

Invented dynamite, a landmark of industrial explosives chemistry.

Dynamite, Inventions
Emulsion Polymerization, Inventions

Field-to-technology association verified live; FROM end owned by fields section

First isolated aluminum metal and pioneered organic synthesis, foundational to industrial chemistry.

Gunpowder, Inventions
Haber-Bosch Process, Inventions

Field-to-technology association verified live; FROM end owned by fields section

John Walker, Engineers

Invented the friction match, an early product of practical industrial chemistry.

Source Lithium Cobalt Oxide (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Match, Inventions
Petroleum Engineering, Fields

Refining crude oil into usable fuels and feedstocks is chemical engineering territory adjoining petroleum engineering own upstream focus.

Plastics, Materials
Rubber, Materials

Developed rubber vulcanization processes alongside Goodyear.

Vulcanization, Methods

Includes

Source Alfred Nobel (Wikipedia)
Alkylation, Inventions
Source Alkylation - Wikipedia
Autoclave, Inventions
Source Autoclave (Wikipedia)
Bakelite, Materials
Bakelite, Inventions
Source Bakelite (Wikipedia)
Bomb, Inventions
Source Bomb (Wikipedia)
Source Bunsen burner (Wikipedia)
Source Callinicus of Heliopolis (Wikipedia)
Source Catalytic reforming (Wikipedia)
Cellophane, Inventions
Source Cellophane - Wikipedia
Source Cellulose acetate (Wikipedia)
Source A History of TechnologyCharles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors
Source Chloralkali Process (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Source Contact process, Wikipedia
Source Distillation (Wikipedia)
Dynamite, Inventions
Source Dynamite (Wikipedia)
Source Electrodialysis - Wikipedia
Source Electrolysis, Wikipedia
Source Emulsion polymerization (Wikipedia)
Source Wikipedia: Ernest Solvay
Source Film tinting (Wikipedia)
Fireworks, Inventions
Source Fireworks (Wikipedia)
Source Fischer-Tropsch process, Wikipedia
Source Fluidized bed reactor - Wikipedia
Source Fractional Distillation (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Source Francis Aston (Nobel Prize)
Source Wikipedia: Franz Joseph Emil Fischer
Source Wikipedia: Franz von Soxhlet
Source Freeze drying - Wikipedia
Source Friedrich Wohler (Wikipedia)Wikipedia contributors
Fritz Haber, Engineers
Source Wikipedia: Fritz Haber
Fuel Cell, Inventions
Source Fuel Cell (Wikipedia)
Gas Mask, Inventions
Source Gas mask (Wikipedia)
Source George E. Davis (Wikipedia)
Source Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta (Science History Institute)
Greek fire, Inventions
Source Greek fire (Wikipedia)
Gunpowder, Inventions
Source Gunpowder (Wikipedia)
Source Haber process (Wikipedia)
Source Hannibal Goodwin (National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee page)
Source Wikipedia: Hans Tropsch
Source Herbert Henry Dow (Wikipedia)
Source Cracking (chemistry) - Wikipedia
Source Hydrogenation - Wikipedia
Source Ion exchange - Wikipedia
Source Jacques E. Brandenberger (National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee page)
James Dewar, Engineers
Source James Dewar (Grace's Guide)
John Walker, Engineers
Source John Walker, inventor (Wikipedia)
Source Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta (Science History Institute)

Showing 1 to 50 of 97 in Includes, page 1 of 2.

Open Questions

In the Other Atlases

Informed By

Also in Science Atlas: which informed this subject.

Sources
1. Technology: A World History
Daniel R. Headrick, Oxford University Press, 2009View the Source
2. Chemical Engineering (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia Foundation
  • Opening section
    Chemical engineering uses principles of chemistry, physics, mathematics, biology, and economics to efficiently use, produce, design, transport and transform energy and materials.
  • Lead section, opening definition of chemical engineering
    Chemical engineering is an engineering field which deals with the study of the operation and design of chemical plants as well as methods of improving production.
View the Source
3. Encyclopaedia Britannica
Encyclopaedia Britannica editors, Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.View the Source
A History of Technology
Charles Singer, E. J. Holmyard, A. R. Hall and Trevor I. Williams, editors, Oxford University Press, 1954
  • Includes: Charles Goodyear
  • Includes: Thomas Hancock
View the Source
Agricultural Engineering (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Agricultural Engineering, Lead sectionView the Source
Nylon (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: NylonView the Source
Polyethylene (New World Encyclopedia)
New World EncyclopediaIncludes: PolyethyleneView the Source
Aerogel (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: Aerogel, Introduction
Quote, Associated With: Aerogel, Introduction
Aerogels can be made from a variety of chemical compounds.
View the Source
Lithium Cobalt Oxide (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationAssociated With: Lithium Cobalt Oxide, Introduction
Quote, Associated With: Lithium Cobalt Oxide, Introduction
Lithium cobalt oxide is a black powder, and is commonly used in the positive electrodes of lithium-ion batteries especially in handheld electronics.
View the Source
Jacques E. Brandenberger (National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee page)
Includes: Jacques E. Brandenberger, Inductee page
Quote, Includes: Jacques E. Brandenberger, Inductee page
Invented in 1908, cellophane came from Swiss chemist Jacques Brandenberger's desire
View the Source
Hannibal Goodwin (National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee page)
Includes: Hannibal Goodwin, Inductee page
Quote, Includes: Hannibal Goodwin, Inductee page
Goodwin made his flexible photographic film by dissolving nitrocellulose in nitrobenzole and then diluting the thick mixture with alcohol.
View the Source
Otto Wichterle (National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee page)
Includes: Otto Wichterle, Inductee page
Quote, Includes: Otto Wichterle, Inductee page
Wichterle earned his Ph.D. from the Prague Institute of Chemical Technology
View the Source
Waldo L. Semon (National Inventors Hall of Fame inductee page)
Includes: Waldo L. Semon, Inductee page
Quote, Includes: Waldo L. Semon, Inductee page
then received his Ph.D. in chemistry in 1923
View the Source
Water fuel cell (Wikipedia)
Includes: Stanley Allen Meyer, Lead or Career section
Quote, Includes: Stanley Allen Meyer, Lead or Career section
The water fuel cell purportedly split water into its component elements, hydrogen and oxygen.
View the Source
George E. Davis (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: George E. Davis, Categories
Quote, Includes: George E. Davis, Categories
British chemical engineers
View the Source
Wikipedia: Fritz Haber
Includes: Fritz Haber, Categories
Quote, Includes: Fritz Haber, Categories
German chemical engineers
View the Source
Vulcanization (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Vulcanization, Categories
Quote, Includes: Vulcanization, Categories
Chemical processes
View the Source
Pyrolysis (Wikipedia)
Includes: Pyrolysis, Categories
Quote, Includes: Pyrolysis, Categories
Chemical processes
View the Source
Haber process (Wikipedia)
Includes: Haber-Bosch Process, Categories
Quote, Includes: Haber-Bosch Process, Categories
Catalysis
View the Source
Solvay process (Wikipedia)
Includes: Solvay Process, Categories
Quote, Includes: Solvay Process, Categories
Chemical processes
View the Source
Contact process, Wikipedia
Includes: Contact Process, Categories
Quote, Includes: Contact Process, Categories
Catalysis
View the Source
Fischer-Tropsch process, Wikipedia
Includes: Fischer-Tropsch Process, Categories
Quote, Includes: Fischer-Tropsch Process, Categories
Catalysis
View the Source
Kraft process, Wikipedia
Includes: Kraft Process, Categories
Quote, Includes: Kraft Process, Categories
Chemical processes
View the Source
Steam reforming - Wikipedia
Includes: Steam Reforming, Categories
Quote, Includes: Steam Reforming, Categories
Catalysis
View the Source
Ostwald process (Wikipedia)
Includes: Ostwald Process, Categories
Quote, Includes: Ostwald Process, Categories
Catalysis
View the Source
Reverse osmosis - Wikipedia
Includes: Reverse Osmosis, Categories
Quote, Includes: Reverse Osmosis, Categories
Separation processes
View the Source
Electrolysis, Wikipedia
Includes: Electrolysis, Categories
Quote, Includes: Electrolysis, Categories
Chemical processes
View the Source
Electrodialysis - Wikipedia
Includes: Electrodialysis, Categories
Quote, Includes: Electrodialysis, Categories
Chemical processes
View the Source
Alkylation - Wikipedia
Includes: Alkylation, Categories
Quote, Includes: Alkylation, Categories
Chemical processes
View the Source
Cracking (chemistry) - Wikipedia
  • Includes: Hydrocracking, Categories
    Chemical processes
  • Includes: Thermal Cracking, Lead section
    In petrochemistry, petroleum geology and organic chemistry, cracking is the process whereby complex organic molecules such as kerogens or long-chain hydrocarbons are broken down into simpler molecules such as light hydrocarbons, by the breaking of carbon-carbon bonds in the precursors.
View the Source
Distillation (Wikipedia)
Includes: Distillation, Categories
Quote, Includes: Distillation, Categories
Separation processes
View the Source
Fractional Distillation (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Fractional Distillation, Categories
Quote, Includes: Fractional Distillation, Categories
Distillation
View the Source
Mauveine (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Mauveine, Categories
Quote, Includes: Mauveine, Categories
Chemical mixtures
View the Source
Polyvinyl chloride - Wikipedia
Includes: Polyvinyl Chloride, Categories
Quote, Includes: Polyvinyl Chloride, Categories
Commodity chemicals
View the Source
Fluidized bed reactor - Wikipedia
Includes: Fluidized Bed Reactor, Categories
Quote, Includes: Fluidized Bed Reactor, Categories
Chemical reactors
View the Source
Ziegler-Natta catalyst - Wikipedia
Includes: Ziegler-Natta Catalyst, Categories
Quote, Includes: Ziegler-Natta Catalyst, Categories
Catalysts
View the Source
Hydrogenation - Wikipedia
Includes: Hydrogenation, Categories
Quote, Includes: Hydrogenation, Categories
Homogeneous catalysis
View the Source
Liquid-liquid extraction - Wikipedia
Includes: Solvent Extraction, Categories
Quote, Includes: Solvent Extraction, Categories
Extraction (chemistry)
View the Source
Gunpowder (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Gunpowder, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Gunpowder, Lead section
Gunpowder, referred to as black powder to distinguish it from modern smokeless powder, is the earliest known chemical explosive.
View the Source
Lighter (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Lighter, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Lighter, Lead section
Some lighters use a consumable chemical fuel, others use electricity from a battery.
View the Source
Fuel Cell (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Fuel Cell, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Fuel Cell, Lead section
A fuel cell is an electrochemical cell that converts the chemical energy of a fuel (often hydrogen) and an oxidizing agent (often oxygen) into electricity through a pair of redox reactions.
View the Source
Synthetic Rubber (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Synthetic Rubber, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Synthetic Rubber, Lead section
They are polymers synthesized from petroleum byproducts.
View the Source
Chloralkali Process (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Chlor-Alkali Process, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Chlor-Alkali Process, Lead section
It is the technology used to produce chlorine and sodium hydroxide (caustic soda), which are commodity chemicals required by industry. 35 million tons of chlorine were prepared by this process in 1987.
View the Source
Ion exchange - Wikipedia
Includes: Ion Exchange, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Ion Exchange, Lead section
Ion exchange is used in softening or demineralizing of water, purification of chemicals, and separation of substances.
View the Source
Catalytic reforming (Wikipedia)
Includes: Catalytic Reforming, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Catalytic Reforming, Lead section
Catalytic reforming is a chemical process used to convert naphthas from crude oil into liquid products called reformates, which are premium "blending stocks" for high-octane gasoline.
View the Source
Emulsion polymerization (Wikipedia)
Includes: Emulsion Polymerization, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Emulsion Polymerization, Lead section
In polymer chemistry, emulsion polymerization is a type of radical polymerization that usually starts with an emulsion incorporating water, monomers, and surfactants.
View the Source
Bunsen burner (Wikipedia)
Includes: Bunsen Burner, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Bunsen Burner, Lead section
The gas can be natural gas, which is mainly methane, or a liquefied petroleum gas, such as propane, butane, a mixture or, as Bunsen himself used, coal gas.
View the Source
Friedrich Wohler (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia contributors, Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Friedrich Wohler, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Friedrich Wohler, Introduction
Friedrich Wöhler FRS(For) HonFRSE (German: [ˈvøːlɐ]; 31 July 1800-23 September 1882) was a German chemist known for his work in both organic and inorganic chemistry, being the first to isolate the chemical elements beryllium and yttrium in pure metallic form.
View the Source
Dynamite (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Dynamite, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Dynamite, Introduction
Dynamite is an explosive made of nitroglycerin, sorbents (such as powdered shells or clay), and stabilizers.
View the Source
Alfred Nobel (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Alfred Nobel, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Alfred Nobel, Introduction
Nobel's most famous invention, dynamite, was an explosive made using nitroglycerin, which was patented in 1867.
View the Source
Papermaking (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Papermaking, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Papermaking, Introduction
In papermaking, a dilute suspension consisting mostly of separate cellulose fibres in water is drained through a sieve-like screen, so that a mat of randomly interwoven fibres is laid down.
View the Source
Herbert Henry Dow (Wikipedia)
Includes: Herbert Henry Dow, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Herbert Henry Dow, Introduction
Herbert Henry Dow (February 26, 1866, October 15, 1930) was an American chemical industrialist who founded the American multinational conglomerate Dow Chemical.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Leo Baekeland
Includes: Leo Baekeland, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Leo Baekeland, Introduction
He has been called "The Father of the Plastics Industry" for his invention of Bakelite, an inexpensive, non-flammable and versatile plastic, which marked the beginning of the modern plastics industry.
View the Source
Lithography (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Lithography, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Lithography, Introduction
The stone was then treated with a mixture of weak acid and gum arabic ("etch") that made the parts of the stone's surface that were not protected by the grease more hydrophilic (water attracting).
View the Source
Bakelite (Wikipedia)
WikipediaIncludes: Bakelite, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Bakelite, Introduction
Bakelite ( BAY-kə-lyte) is the first plastic made from synthetic components.
View the Source
Rayon - Wikipedia
Includes: Rayon, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Rayon, Introduction
Rayon, also called viscose, is a semi-synthetic fiber made from natural sources of regenerated cellulose, such as wood and related agricultural products.
View the Source
Cellophane - Wikipedia
Includes: Cellophane, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Cellophane, Introduction
Cellophane is a thin, transparent sheet made of regenerated cellulose.
View the Source
Ultrafiltration - Wikipedia
Includes: Ultrafiltration, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Ultrafiltration, Introduction
Ultrafiltration (UF) is a variety of membrane filtration in which forces such as pressure or concentration gradients lead to a separation through a semipermeable membrane.
View the Source
Nanofiltration - Wikipedia
Includes: Nanofiltration, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Nanofiltration, Introduction
Nanofiltration is a membrane filtration process that uses nanometer sized pores through which particles smaller than about 1-10 nanometers pass through the membrane.
View the Source
Cellulose acetate (Wikipedia)
Includes: Cellulose Acetate, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Cellulose Acetate, Introduction
In biochemistry, cellulose acetate refers to any acetate ester of cellulose, usually cellulose diacetate.
View the Source
Steam cracking - Wikipedia
Includes: Steam Cracking, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Steam Cracking, Introduction
Steam cracking is a petrochemical process in which saturated hydrocarbons are broken down ("cracked") into smaller, often unsaturated, hydrocarbons.
View the Source
Freeze drying - Wikipedia
Includes: Freeze Drying, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Freeze Drying, Introduction
Freeze drying, also known as lyophilization or cryodesiccation, is a low-temperature dehydration process that involves freezing the product and lowering pressure, thereby removing the ice by sublimation.
View the Source
Supercritical fluid extraction (Wikipedia)
Includes: Supercritical Fluid Extraction, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Supercritical Fluid Extraction, Introduction
Supercritical fluid extraction (SFE) is the process of separating one component (the extractant) from another (the matrix) using supercritical fluids as the extracting solvent.
View the Source
Pervaporation - Wikipedia
Includes: Pervaporation, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Pervaporation, Introduction
Pervaporation (or pervaporative separation) is a processing method for the separation of mixtures of liquids by partial vaporization through a non-porous or porous membrane.
View the Source
Greek fire (Wikipedia)
Includes: Greek fire, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Greek fire, Introduction
Historians have variously speculated that it was based on saltpeter, sulfur, or quicklime, but most modern scholars agree that it was based on petroleum mixed with resins, comparable in composition to modern napalm.
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Fireworks (Wikipedia)
Includes: Fireworks, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Fireworks, Introduction
Fireworks are low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes.
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Polywater (Wikipedia)
Includes: Polywater, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Polywater, Introduction
Polywater was a hypothesized polymerized form of water that was the subject of much scientific controversy during the late 1960s, first described by Soviet scientist Nikolai Fedyakin.
View the Source
Film tinting (Wikipedia)
Includes: Film Tinting, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Film Tinting, Introduction
Film tinting is the process of adding color to black-and-white film, usually by means of soaking the film in dye and staining the film emulsion.
View the Source
Autoclave (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: Autoclave, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Autoclave, Introduction
Autoclaves are also commonly used in the chemical industry to cure coatings, vulcanize rubber, and for hydrothermal synthesis.
View the Source
Gas mask (Wikipedia)
Includes: Gas Mask, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Gas Mask, Introduction
Gas masks only protect the user from ingesting or inhaling chemical agents, as well as preventing contact with the user's eyes (many chemical agents affect through eye contact).
View the Source
Bomb (Wikipedia)
Includes: Bomb, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Bomb, Introduction
A bomb is an explosive weapon that uses the exothermic reaction of an explosive material to provide an extremely sudden and violent release of energy.
View the Source
Soxhlet extractor (Wikipedia)
Includes: Soxhlet Extractor, Introduction
Quote, Includes: Soxhlet Extractor, Introduction
It was originally designed for the extraction of a lipid from a solid material.
View the Source
Wikipedia: William Henry Perkin
Includes: William Henry Perkin, Introduction
Quote, Includes: William Henry Perkin, Introduction
Sir William Henry Perkin (12 March 1838-14 July 1907) was an English chemist and entrepreneur best known for his serendipitous discovery of the first commercial synthetic organic dye, mauveine, made from aniline.
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James Dewar (Grace's Guide)
Includes: James Dewar, Biography
Quote, Includes: James Dewar, Biography
extensive research into the liquefaction of gases
View the Source
Peregrine Phillips (Grace's Guide)
Includes: Peregrine Phillips, Biography
Quote, Includes: Peregrine Phillips, Biography
Peregrine Phillips Junior was the inventor of the Contact Process for Sulphuric Acid, for which he obtained Patent No. 6096 in 1831.
View the Source
Grace's Guide to British Industrial History: Ludwig Mond
Grace's Guide to British Industrial HistoryIncludes: Ludwig Mond, Biography
Quote, Includes: Ludwig Mond, Biography
Mond developed a valuable method known as the Mond process for extracting nickel from its ores by use of this carbonyl.
View the Source
John Walker, inventor (Wikipedia)
Wikimedia FoundationIncludes: John Walker, Lead section
Quote, Includes: John Walker, Lead section
John Walker (29 May 1781-1 May 1859) was an English chemist and pharmacist credited with inventing the friction light, the first commercially successful friction match, in either 1826 or 1827.
View the Source
Wikipedia: Ernest Solvay
Includes: Ernest Solvay, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Ernest Solvay, Lead section
Ernest Gaston Joseph Solvay (French: [sɔlvɛ]; 16 April 1838-26 May 1922) was a Belgian chemist, industrialist and philanthropist.
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Wikipedia: Franz Joseph Emil Fischer
Includes: Franz Joseph Emil Fischer, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Franz Joseph Emil Fischer, Lead section
Franz Joseph Emil Fischer (19 March 1877 in Freiburg im Breisgau, 1 December 1947 in Munich) was a German chemist.
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Wikipedia: Hans Tropsch
Includes: Hans Tropsch, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Hans Tropsch, Lead section
Hans Tropsch (October 7, 1889, October 8, 1935) was a chemist responsible, along with Franz Fischer, for the development of the Fischer-Tropsch process.
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Wikipedia: Franz von Soxhlet
Includes: Franz von Soxhlet, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Franz von Soxhlet, Lead section
Franz Ritter von Soxhlet (12 January 1848-5 May 1926) was a German agricultural chemist and inventor.
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Paul Sabatier (Wikipedia)
Includes: Paul Sabatier, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Paul Sabatier, Lead section
Paul Sabatier (French: [sabatje]; 5 November 1854-14 August 1941) was a French chemist, born in Carcassonne.
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Callinicus of Heliopolis (Wikipedia)
Includes: Callinicus of Heliopolis, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Callinicus of Heliopolis, Lead section
620 AD) was a Byzantine architect and alchemist of Jewish or Egyptian origin.
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Roy J. Plunkett - Science History Institute
  • Includes: Roy J. Plunkett, Page text
    Plunkett’s first assignment at DuPont was researching new chlorofluorocarbon refrigerants-then seen as great advances over earlier refrigerants like sulfur dioxide and ammonia, which regularly poisoned food-industry workers and people in their homes.
  • Includes: Teflon, Page text
    From the 1930s to the present, beginning with neoprene and nylon, the American chemical industry has introduced a cornucopia of polymers to the consumer.
View the Source
Photographic film (Wikipedia)
Includes: Photographic Film, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Photographic Film, Lead section
Photographic film is a strip or sheet of transparent film base coated on one side with a gelatin emulsion containing microscopically small light-sensitive silver halide crystals, for the purpose of taking photographs.
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Mass spectrometry (Wikipedia)
Includes: Mass Spectrometer, Lead section
Quote, Includes: Mass Spectrometer, Lead section
Mass spectrometry (MS) is an analytical technique that is used to measure the mass-to-charge ratio of ions.
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Karl Ziegler and Giulio Natta (Science History Institute)
  • Includes: Karl Ziegler, Page text
    In the early 1950s Ziegler and Natta discovered a new process for synthesizing polymers that made possible a lot of common plastics, including high-density polyethylene and polypropylene.
  • Includes: Giulio Natta, Page text
    In the early 1950s Ziegler and Natta discovered a new process for synthesizing polymers that made possible a lot of common plastics, including high-density polyethylene and polypropylene.
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Spencer Silver (National Inventors Hall of Fame)
Includes: Spencer Silver, Inductee page
Quote, Includes: Spencer Silver, Inductee page
In 1968, Spencer Silver was a senior scientist working to develop new classes of adhesives at 3M when he discovered an acrylic adhesive with unique properties.
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Francis Aston (Nobel Prize)
Includes: Francis Aston, Biographical
Quote, Includes: Francis Aston, Biographical
He quickly achieved success in this by his invention of the mass spectrograph, an apparatus in which the ingenious use of electromagnetic focusing enabled him to utilize the very slight differences in mass of the two isotopes to effect their separation.
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Open Questions (1 open question)
When and by whom was the term "chemical engineering" actually coined: an 1839 reference cited by James F. Donnelly, George E. Davis's later claimed coinage, or the approximately 1890 date given by The History of Science in the United States: An Encyclopedia?

Wikipedia's own chemical engineering article records three competing accounts in one paragraph: "A 1996 article cites James F. Donnelly for mentioning an 1839 reference to chemical engineering...George E. Davis...was credited with having coined the term...The History of Science in United States: An Encyclopedia puts the use of the term around 1890." The sources disagree with each other and the article does not adjudicate between them.

What would resolve this A dedicated etymological study tracing first use of the exact phrase "chemical engineering" in primary 19th-century sources, rather than secondary encyclopedic accounts that already disagree.
Wikipedia contributors, Chemical Engineering (Wikipedia)
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