Materials
Day 9 - Søren Sørensen
Posted on January 9, 2011What makes an acid an acid and a base a base? Søren Sørensen, born 1868, figured this out when he introduced the concept of pH as a measure of hydrogen ion concentration.
Day 12 - Durable Press and Flame Retardant Cotton
Posted on January 12, 20111916 birth of American chemist Ruth Rogan Benerito, a pioneer in the development of wash- and-wear fabrics. Her research resulted in the development of cotton fabrics that are crease and stain resistant and better able to retard flames.
Day 14 - Nail Polish
Posted on January 14, 2011This date marks the death of Paul Vieille, discoverer of nitrocellulose, a key ingredient in nail polish and gunpowder.
Day 15 - Eleuthère Irénée du Pont
Posted on January 15, 2011Eleuthère Irénée du Pont founded the DuPont company in 1802. January marks the anniversary month of the arrival of the du Pont family in America in 1800.
Day 17 - Artificial Snow
Posted on January 17, 2011When Nature fails to drop enough snow or brings a January thaw, skiers use this to keep thing moving smoothly.
Day 18 - Nanoscale soldering
Posted on January 18, 2011In 1861, Hans Goldschmidt found a simple way to produce and use very high temperatures by mixing aluminum with a metallic oxide. The process is used in welding. Today, scientists working at the nano-scale are designing similar techniques in which a filler metal is melted to join metal pieces together.
Day 19 - United States Synthetic Rubber Program
Posted on January 19, 2011Harry Fisher, born 1885, inventor of rubber technology, helped the U.S. rubber industry replace tons of natural rubber with a synthetic substitute.
Day 21 - Separation of Rare Earth Elements
Posted on January 21, 2011Separation of Rare Earth Elements — used in aluminum baseball bats, electronics and green technologies — first described in 1907.
Day 26 - Atomic Weight
Posted on January 26, 2011For the first time in history, a change was made to the atomic weights of some elements listed on the Table of Standard Atomic Weights of the chemical elements found in the inside covers of chemistry textbooks worldwide.
Day 27 - F. August Kekulé
Posted on January 27, 2011F. August Kekulé presented his six-sided benzene structure to the Société Chimique in Paris, 1865.
Day 31 - Irving Langmuir, Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1932
Posted on January 31, 2011Birth in 1881 of Irving Langmuir, renowned chemist and Nobel laureate who was namesake for an American Chemical Society journal.
Day 34 - Shower Cleaners
Posted on February 3, 2011Chinese New Year: To celebrate, families may give their homes a thorough cleaning, sweeping away any ill-fortune to make way for good luck in the new year. Showers are often one of the least enjoyable places to clean.
Day 36 - High Performance Carbon Fibers
Posted on February 5, 2011In February 1960, materials engineer Roger Bacon published findings on studies of graphite and carbon fibers, which contributed to a revolution in the heat-resistant materials used in aircraft and satellites.
Day 45 - Silly Putty
Posted on February 14, 2011This ‘silly’ toy made its debut this week in 1950 at the International Toy Fair in New York City.
Day 47 - Synthetic Diamonds
Posted on February 16, 2011Synthetic diamond makers are targeting the gem market first, but their product could transform many other industries, too
Day 52 - Instant Film
Posted on February 21, 2011Edwin Land demonstrates Polaroid camera to an Optical Society meeting, 1947, after his daughter asks why she had to wait so long to see her picture.
Day 53 - Friedrich Wöhler
Posted on February 22, 2011Friedrich Wöhler wrote a letter to J. J. Berzelius stating that he had synthesized urea, making an organic compound from inorganic materials, 1828. Wöhler and colleague Justus von Liebig were friends who helped make organic chemistry a field of systematic study.
Day 58 - Henry Aaron Hill
Posted on February 27, 2011Black History Month, February the United States and Canada and September in the United Kingdom, celebrates the achievements of individuals like Henry Aaron Hill, the first African-American president of the American Chemical Society.
Day 61 - Hot-Air Ballooning
Posted on March 2, 2011In 1784, Jean Pierre Blanchard made his first successful ascent in a self-built balloon. The following year, he and American physician Dr. John Jeffries, made the first flight over the English Channel.
Day 62 - U.S. National Bureau of Standards
Posted on March 3, 2011National Bureau of Standards, later named the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), created in 1901.
Day 63 - New method could revolutionize dating of ancient treasures
Posted on March 4, 2011Today in 1947, Willard Libby and coworkers developed radiocarbon dating, a method used to determine the age of ancient mummies and fossils.
Day 64 - Lipstick
Posted on March 5, 2011A variety of waxes, oils, pigments, and emollients in this product have helped people put on a happy faces for years.
Day 66 - Fix-A-Flat
Posted on March 7, 2011Air-filled tires came in 1888 when John Boyd Dunlop wrapped a rubber tube inflated with air around the wheel rims on his son’s tricycle. Too bad he didn’t have this on hand.
Day 70 - Early Aluminum Processing
Posted on March 11, 2011Henri-Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville, born 1818, invented the first industrial process for producing aluminum. In 1854, he built on earlier work of German chemist, Friedrich Woelher, and found a method of preparing aluminum, based on aluminum chloride and sodium.
Day 75 - Synthetic Rubber Production
Posted on March 16, 2011Synthetic Rubber Program first described in 1928. Export restrictions of natural rubber sparked interest in finding ways to synthesize the material.
Day 86 - The Sohio Acrylonitrile Process
Posted on March 27, 2011In 1957, researchers developed a single-step way to produce acrylonitrile — a key raw material for many everyday fibers and plastics.
Day 93 - Raincoats
Posted on April 3, 2011This invention, patented more than 180 years ago, insures you’ll be well protected against April showers.
Day 99 - Bowling Balls
Posted on April 9, 2011The U.S. Bowling Congress kicks off its Women’s Championship Tournament this month. Polymer science and surface chemistry play an important role in this very popular sport.
Day 103 - 75th Anniversary of the ACS Committee on Professional Training
Posted on April 13, 2011For 75 years, the Committee on Professional Training (CPT) has promoted excellence in postsecondary education and provided leadership to the ACS in the professional training of chemists.
Day 105 - Helium
Posted on April 15, 2011On this day in 2000, the American Chemical Society designated the discovery of this element within natural gas as a National Historic Chemical Landmark at The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kansas.
Day 109 - Road Markings
Posted on April 19, 2011Of all the standard driving safety devices—seat belts, air bags, antilock brakes—many of us take these for granted.
Day 117 - Wallace Hume Carothers
Posted on April 27, 2011Wallace Carothers, born 1896, studied the chemistry of giant molecules, leading to production of the first synthetic rubber made in the U.S. and the production of nylon.
Day 126 - Sticky Notes
Posted on May 6, 2011In 1840, the adhesive postage stamp was first sold in Great Britain. Since then, adhesives have improved greatly, and in 1968 chemists developed these handy little notepapers with an adhesive that allows it to be repositioned with ease.
Day 127 - Monocrystalline silicon and microchips
Posted on May 7, 2011Monocrystalline silicon is one of the most important technological materials of the last decades. It uses include computer chips and high-performance solar cells.
Day 129 - Origins of the Sulfuric Acid Industry
Posted on May 9, 2011In addition to his work with the properties of gases, Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac contributed to the development of the sulfuric acid industry. Gay-Lussac died on this day in 1850.
Day 132 - Roy J. Plunkett
Posted on May 12, 2011Death of Roy J. Plunkett, who accidentally discovered Teflon in 1938 when he found that a tank of gaseous tetrafluoroethylene had polymerized to a white powder. During WWII this new polymer was applied as a corrosion-resistant coating to protect metal equipment.
Day 135 - Paper
Posted on May 15, 2011Paper, a mainstay of everyday life from books to store receipts, traces its origins to China and Egypt. Most paper today is made from trees using a wood processing technique called pulping.
Day 141 - Sandpaper
Posted on May 21, 2011Spring cleaning is often accompanied by a wealth of do-it-yourself projects using this ubiquitous abrasive.
Day 143 - Edgar Fahs Smith
Posted on May 23, 2011Born in 1854, Edgar Fahs Smith was regarded as a a pioneer in the study of the history and culture of chemistry in the United States during the early decades of the twentieth century.
Day 146 - Formation of low-iron alloys
Posted on May 26, 2011In 1857, Robert Mushet received a U.S. patent for an improved method of manufacturing steel to make it more malleable. In 1894, chemists began experiments leading to low-iron alloys that could be dissolved in steel to impart toughness, strength and corrosion resistance.
Day 148 - Stephanie Kwolek and Kevlar
Posted on May 28, 2011An inventor of industrial-strength fibers that today protect and save thousands of lives.
Day 152 - Correction of Debye Theory
Posted on June 1, 2011The sixth-most cited paper in the Journal of the American Chemical Society, “Electric Moments of Molecules in Liquids,” was submitted in 1936, paving the way to a better understanding of polar liquids.
Day 154 - Robert Woodward
Posted on June 3, 2011In 1960, Robert B Woodward first synthesized chlorophyll, one of many natural products whose structure he defined, garnering him a Nobel Prize in 1965.
Day 155 - Prussian Blue
Posted on June 4, 2011Prussian blue was the first major synthetic pigment that created an affordable alternative to the expensive mineral-based pigment, ultramarine.
Day 160 - Liquid Crystal Displays
Posted on June 9, 2011Joel E. Goldmacher and Joseph A. Castellano filed a patent application in 1966 for the first room-temperature liquid crystal display. Their work paved the way for today’s 100 billion dollar industry in low-power LCDs, found in popular consumer goods such as laptop computers, televisions and cell phones.
Day 161 - Ice Cream
Posted on June 10, 2011What makes ice cream taste so good? Studies on physical chemistry and flavor release have benefited this sweet treat.
Day 162 - Lava Lamp
Posted on June 11, 2011Patented in 1968, this groovy lighting fixture is pure liquid motion created by matching the density of two insoluble ingredients.
Day 167 - Vanadium
Posted on June 16, 2011Henry E. Roscoe announced the isolation of vanadium in 1867. This transition metal, which helps strengthen steel, was first discovered in Mexico over 200 years ago but was lost in a shipwreck before its identity could be verified.
Day 168 - Forensic Science
Posted on June 17, 2011Hiram Maxim received a patent in 1890 for smokeless gunpowder, an innovation leading to the automatic and semi-automatic firearm. At the time, he likely didn’t anticipate that traces of gunpowder could someday be used to link a suspect to a crime by forensic scientists.
Day 169 - The Age of Plastic
Posted on June 18, 2011The Age of Plastics dawned in 1907 when Belgian-born chemist Leo Hendrik Baekeland made the first plastic.
Day 173 - The kilogram
Posted on June 22, 2011The first standards for the meter and kilogram were deposited in the National Archives of France in 1799. The kilogram is the only unit in the International System of Units still defined by an artifact rather than a fundamental physical property that can be reproduced in different laboratories.
Day 174 - Natureworks Polymers from Renewable Feedstocks
Posted on June 23, 2011The 2002 Presidential Green Chemistry Award winner NatureworksTM polymers are made from plant-based starting materials through an environmentally friendly process. The fibers and packaging can be recycled or composted at the end of their lifetime.
Day 176 - Iron
Posted on June 25, 2011The versatile element, iron, facilitates essential biological functions, provides colors for the artist’s palette, and is abundant on Earth as well as on other planets.
Day 178 - Origins of the Oil Industry
Posted on June 27, 2011Canadian geologist Abraham Gesner patented the process for obtaining kerosene by distilling bituminous coal in 1854. Gesner was a rather flamboyant character who played a major role in the emergence of energy in the early to mid-19th century.
Day 180 - Rightfit Pigments
Posted on June 29, 2011RightfitTM Organic pigments received a Presidential Green Chemistry award in 2004. The 2011 awards will be given this week at the 15th Annual Green Chemistry & Engineering Conference.
Day 182 - Research on the Atomic Weight of Oxygen
Posted on July 1, 2011Edward Morley’s 1895 paper provides way to determine atomic weight, making chemistry less laborious and more precise.
Day 183 - Fritz Haber
Posted on July 2, 2011Despite the World War I British naval blockade, Germany maintained a constant supply of fertilizers and explosives thanks to the Haber-Bosch process for fixing nitrogen from air, which Fritz Haber presented to the German chemical company BASF in 1909.
Day 185 - Fireworks
Posted on July 4, 2011Bigger, brighter and more colorful every year, fireworks cap off Independence Day celebrations around the country.
Day 187 - Alum
Posted on July 6, 2011An exceptionally versatile chemical, alum has been especially vital as a mordant in the dyeing industry and in the area of water treatment.
Day 188 - Chemistry fights Friction
Posted on July 7, 2011Robert Goddard’s patent of the first liquid fuel rocket in 1914 marked the dawn of modern aeronautics. Since then, researchers have developed various materials and lubricants that can hold up in space and on Earth.
Day 189 - Space-Dust Science
Posted on July 8, 2011Astronomers’ understanding of stellar evolution takes a step forward with Jason Cardelli’s 1994 publication showing the abundances of the heaviest elements, including thallium and lead, yet detected in interstellar dust.
Day 191 - Soap Bubbles
Posted on July 10, 2011Blowing bubbles is one way to while away summer’s lazy days.
Day 192 - The Commercialization of Aluminum
Posted on July 11, 2011The commercialization of aluminum began in 1886 when Charles Martin Hall discovered a way to separate pure aluminum from its ore.
Day 193 - Super Glue®
Posted on July 12, 2011The quick-bonding super-strong adhesive, Super Glue, can support more than a ton of weight, but keep it off your fingers!
Day 196 - The Royal Society
Posted on July 15, 2011King Charles II grants a charter to the Royal Society (UK) in 1662, establishing one of the world’s oldest scientific societies. The society officially started in 1660 when a group of 12, including Robert Boyle, met at Gresham College and decided to meet weekly to witness experiments and discuss scientific topics.
Day 197 - Glenn Seaborg
Posted on July 16, 2011On this date the first atomic bomb test took place in 1945 at the Trinity Site, Alamogordo Air Force Base in New Mexico. One of the scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, which developed the bomb, was Glenn Seaborg, a towering figure in 20th century chemistry.
Day 198 - Polycarbonate
Posted on July 17, 2011High impact resistance and excellent transparency make polycarbonate the material of choice for water bottles, windshields, and eyeglasses.
Day 202 - Advances in Chromatography
Posted on July 21, 2011Russian botanist M. S. Tswett submitted the first paper on chromatography to the Journal of the German Botanical Society, in 1906. His work laid the foundation for the use of chromatography in countless analytic applications, such as drug discovery and food purity testing. Today, the demands for faster and more efficient chemical separations have guided innovators toward the extremes of particle size, pressure, temperature, and other chromatography parameters.
Day 204 - Waterlock (Sodium Polyacrylate)
Posted on July 23, 2011Sodium polyacrylate, which can hold up to 800 times its weight in water, has found applications from home to Hollywood.
Day 205 - Space Suits
Posted on July 24, 2011Chemistry, art conservation, and space-age materials meet as conservators try to preserve the space suits worn by NASA astronauts.
Day 206 - Madder and Alizarin
Posted on July 25, 2011The laboratory synthesis of alizarin, the vibrant red chemical in madder dye, transformed the dyeing industry and laid important foundations for the future of the chemical industry.
Day 208 - John Dalton
Posted on July 27, 2011Death of John Dalton (1844) who investigated the physical and chemical properties of matter and deduced an Atomic Theory (1803) whereby atoms of the same element are the same, but different from the atoms of any other element.
Day 211 - Tin
Posted on July 30, 2011A metal of great importance to human civilization, tin is a key component in the alloys bronze and pewter, as well as lending its name to several modern kitchen items.
Day 212 - Polyester
Posted on July 31, 2011Polyesters have a diverse set of applications including fibers, fabrics, disposable beverage containers, wood finishes, and films to archive and store paper.
Day 214 - The Production and Distribution of Radioisotopes
Posted on August 2, 2011Production and distribution of radioisotopes at Oak Ridge National Laboratory helps advance medicine, industry, and agriculture.
Day 215 - Lithium Batteries
Posted on August 3, 2011Powering our cell phones, iPods, and laptops, lithium-ion batteries make our electronic technology portable.
Day 218 - Lead Crystal
Posted on August 6, 2011Cut glass objects of lead crystal were developed in response to chemical properties and political factors.
Day 219 - Low VOC Paint
Posted on August 7, 2011Award-winning low VOC paints from Sherwin-Williams provide the superior surface of solvent-based paints without all the smell.
Day 225 - Color Printing Inks
Posted on August 13, 2011Inks made from dyes vs. from pigments have different advantages and disadvantages and are ideal for different types of printing jobs.
Day 226 - Acrylic Emulsion Technology
Posted on August 14, 2011Acrylic Emulsion Technology transformed home painting from a smelly, messy ordeal into a cleaner and more user-friendly process.
Day 227 - PVC
Posted on August 15, 2011How is Polyvinylchloride used in a house? Let me count the ways.
Day 230 - Azidothymidine (AZT)
Posted on August 18, 2011Although a failure as an anti-cancer drug, AZT has become a front-line defense in managing HIV infections.
Day 231 - Copper
Posted on August 19, 2011The ‘easily recycled metal’, copper has numerous applications including electrical wiring, roofing materials, and for anti-microbial surfaces.
Day 232 - Baking Soda
Posted on August 20, 2011Sodium bicarbonate, commonly known as baking soda, is a versatile household chemical with applications for every room of the house.
Day 233 - Lead White Paint
Posted on August 21, 2011An example of a banned substance that is still in use for limited, nonhazardous applications.
Day 238 - Silicon Chip
Posted on August 26, 2011The invention of integrated circuits to allow rapid fabrication of large arrays of tiny transistors has been the cornerstone of smaller, faster, and more reliable technology.
Day 240 - Feast of the Gods
Posted on August 28, 2011Chemical and instrumental analysis revealed the rich story behind the painting, The Feast of the Gods.
Day 241 - Fiberglass
Posted on August 29, 2011An all-season material, fiberglass is used for boat hulls and surfboards as well as for thermal and electrical insulation.
Day 242 - NASA
Posted on August 30, 2011Known predominantly for its exploration of space, NASA also leads research efforts to improve our understanding of Earth’s atmosphere.
Day 243 - Pencils
Posted on August 31, 2011Graphite pencils, an essential back-to-school supply, have an interesting history.
Day 244 - Chandler Chemistry Laboratory
Posted on September 1, 2011Chandler Chemistry Laboratory at Lehigh University, which created the model of modern chemical education, opened in 1884.
Day 247 - Cochineal
Posted on September 4, 2011Carmine, a red dye extracted from cochineal insects, is an example of a chemical product created in nature’s laboratory.
Day 248 - Jacobus Henricus van’t Hoff
Posted on September 5, 2011Date of pamphlet in which Jacobus van’t Hoff proposed a tetrahedral structure for carbon, 1874. It was not universally embraced, but in 1901 he received first Nobel Prize in chemistry.
Day 249 - Erasers
Posted on September 6, 2011A must-have for first day of school, these small bits of molded rubber are handy to have when you need to fix something written in pencil or pen.
Day 250 - Crayons
Posted on September 7, 2011The brilliant pigments of crayons allow children of all ages to color their worlds.
Day 251 - Scotch® Tape: An Innovation That Stuck
Posted on September 8, 2011Scotch® Transparent Tape takes hold in 1930, when 3M sent its first roll of cellophane tape to a prospective client.
Day 252 - Synthetic Grass
Posted on September 9, 2011When the World Cup for rugby opens in New Zealand, the action will unfold on top of this innovation.
Day 253 - The Williams-Miles History of Chemistry Collection
Posted on September 10, 2011Williams-Miles History of Chemistry Collection, a collection of rare and old chemistry books, opened at Harding University in Searcy, Ark., 1992.
Day 255 - Fullerenes or Buckyballs
Posted on September 12, 2011Scientists announce discovery of fullerenes, or “buckyballs,” the scientific achievement that gave birth to nanotechnology.
Day 256 - Phosphorus
Posted on September 13, 2011Phosphorus plays a crucial role sustaining life, which is why it is crucial to fertilize crops sufficiently, but without adding too much of a good thing.
Day 257 - Paper
Posted on September 14, 2011The back-to-school stack of loose leaf notebook paper on every child’s desk is the product of numerous chemical and engineering processes.
Day 258 - Chemical Engineering
Posted on September 15, 2011In India, Engineers’ Day is celebrated on 15 September every year. In the U.S., the field of chemical engineering got its start at MIT in 1888.
Day 266 - Kem-Tone© Wall Finish
Posted on September 23, 2011In 1941, a Kem-Tone® paint, waterborne wall paint was introduced, spurring the expansion of “do-it-yourself” painting.
Day 272 - Titanium
Posted on September 29, 2011Named for the Titans of Greek mythology, titanium facilitates our society’s mobility whether through artificial joints or through use in airplanes and spacecraft.
Day 273 - Frescoes
Posted on September 30, 2011One of the oldest art forms, the fresco, depends on a solid understanding of acid-base chemistry.
Day 274 - Opal
Posted on October 1, 2011This iridescent stone, known in modern times as the birthstone for October, is comprised of water and quartz.
Day 278 - Baseballs
Posted on October 5, 2011Baseball player Don Larson pitched a perfect game in the 1956 World Series. To better grip the ball, he likely relied on an ingredient from the Delaware River.
Day 284 - Bakelite
Posted on October 11, 2011Bakelite opened the door to the Age of Plastics and seeded the growth of a worldwide industry that today employs more than 60 million people.
Day 286 - The Development of Nylon
Posted on October 13, 2011Production of the world’s first totally synthetic textile fiber, nylon, began in 1939 when the first nylon plant began operations.
Day 289 - Chemistry: There’s An App For That
Posted on October 16, 2011National Chemistry Week, Oct. 16-22: There’s an App for that. Chemists on the go can check the safety of cosmetic ingredients, scroll through millions of chemical structures and molecular formulas, and model liquid chromatography flow rates.
Day 294 - Cotton
Posted on October 21, 2011Scientists and farmers have developed a number of strategies to reduce the need for large quantities of pesticides and fertilizers when growing cotton.
Day 298 - Neon
Posted on October 25, 2011“Mel’s Diner,” “Lovelace Motel, no vacancies,” and “Blue Moon espresso coffee”
Day 299 - Fiber Optics
Posted on October 26, 2011Fiber optics, which transmit pulses of light through tiny, glass fibers, have transformed communication technology.
Day 302 - Tide®
Posted on October 29, 2011Tide®, the first heavy-duty synthetic detergent, debuted in October 1946 replacing traditional soaps that didn’t clean well in hard water and left a residue of scum.
Day 306 - Synthetic Rubber
Posted on November 2, 2011Chemical company DuPont begins mass-production of the first commercially available synthetic rubber, Duprene (later named neoprene) in 1932. Because it was difficult and expensive to manufacture, the company turned its attention to developing a synthetic “superpolymer,” ultimately leading to the development of nylon.
Day 309 - Conservation of Paper
Posted on November 5, 2011Because of natural chemical processes that can attack and degrade paper, librarians and conservationists rely on chemical strategies to preserve our written heritage.
Day 310 - Shape Memory Alloys
Posted on November 6, 2011Memory metals have the unusual property of returning to their original parent shape upon heating even after extensive bending and deforming.
Day 311 - Indigo
Posted on November 7, 2011It might come as a great surprise that ‘blue jeans’ are dyed by first submerging denim in a pale yellow solution – but that is the mysterious nature of indigo.
Day 315 - Body Armor
Posted on November 11, 2011Scores of U.S. veterans can celebrate Veteran’s Day thanks to high-tech ceramics that provide protection against bullets or other projectiles.
Day 317 - Bio-Based Succinic Acid
Posted on November 13, 2011Synthesizing succinic acid from bio-based starting materials could provide an important and plentiful petroleum alternative for the manufacture of everything from de-icers to pesticides.
Day 319 - Polypropylene and polyethylene
Posted on November 15, 2011Polypropylene and high-density polyethylene plastics — the plastic that made the Hula Hoop® possible — discovered in 1955.
Day 321 - Platinum
Posted on November 17, 2011Platinum: the metal and the metaphor are associated with high privilege and outstanding performance.
Day 322 - Modeling
Posted on November 18, 2011Chemists use models to envision molecules, to explore complex systems and to predict chemical reactions.
Day 327 - Henry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley
Posted on November 23, 2011Henry Gwyn Jeffreys Moseley, born on this day in 1887, organized the modern Periodic Table of the Elements on the basis of atomic number, or proton number, which uniquely identifies a chemical element and helps predict the properties and reactivity of the elements.
Day 330 - Niobium
Posted on November 26, 2011Charles Hatchett announced discovery of columbium (niobium, Nb, element 41) before the Royal Society, 1801. Niobium is used in jet engines and rockets.
Day 332 - Adhesives
Posted on November 28, 2011Adhesives bind our wounds, repair our mistakes, and help attach that gold star to a job well done.
Day 335 - Mauve
Posted on December 1, 2011Mauve was one of the first dyes derived from a synthetic process rather than from natural materials and its availability prompted a fad for purple in Europe in the 1850s.
Day 338 - Paper from Pine: A New Chapter in Papermaking
Posted on December 4, 2011Charles Holmes Herty, born 1867, found a way to make paper from pine trees, creating badly needed jobs in the South and savings millions of Northern trees.
Day 340 - Paint Binders
Posted on December 6, 2011The different classifications of paint such as oils, acrylics, and latex refer to the ‘binder,’ the component that sticks the colors to the wall or to a canvas and protects the finished product from damage.
Day 341 - Brass
Posted on December 7, 2011Whether ringing in the holidays, gracing a winter evening with a chandelier of lights, or simply opening a door, brass lends a glowing touch.
Day 342 - Wool
Posted on December 8, 2011In addition to wool’s outstanding performance as a cold weather fabric, its fire resistant properties make it a desirable material for carpets and upholstery.
Day 344 - Hermann Staudinger
Posted on December 10, 2011Hermann Staudinger, won Nobel Prize in Chemistry for polymer science work, 1953. His research helped spur the development of polymer science in industry.
Day 345 - Alpha Chi Sigma
Posted on December 11, 2011In 1902, a group of students formed Alpha Chi Sigma, the only national professional fraternity specializing in chemistry. The organization now has a membership of more than 63,000 men and women.
Day 350 - Silver
Posted on December 16, 2011Used for money, jewelry, tableware and making mirrors, the lustrous white metal silver is also a common feature of holiday decorations.
Day 351 - Porcelain
Posted on December 17, 2011Whether arranging flowers in a decorative vase, setting a table for a holiday celebration, or indulging in a relaxing cup of tea, porcelain is often a part of special events or everyday pleasures.
Day 353 - Supercritical fluids
Posted on December 19, 2011Thomas Andrews, born 1813, demonstrated the continuity of the gaseous and liquid states showing that during changes between the two states, physical properties display no abrupt changes.
Day 361 - Glass
Posted on December 27, 2011In spite of its tendency to break when handled roughly, optical transparency and thermal properties make glass ideal for items ranging from drinking vessels and laboratory containers to works of art.
Day 364 - Photography
Posted on December 30, 2011Photography is a powerful means of capturing memories through pictures and of connecting with friends and relatives separated by distance or time.