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Famous Chemist in The World
Most Famous chemist in the world looks arguably ugly. It depends on the angle you’re viewing my opinion.
Chemistry is a study of reactions between chemicals and substances that most people experience in their everyday life. All of our medicines and household products are the result of a history of chemical studies and discoveries.
As promised in our previous article on what you need to know about a chemist, chemist career and educational requirement, below is a list of some of the most important chemists of all time or most preferably the Most Famous chemist in the world, systematically organized by the significance of their contributions to the field of chemistry/science.
Marie Curie (1867-1934)
Famous For: Discovery of Radium and Polonium
Marie Curie received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911 for her discovery of radium and polonium. She was able to isolate and study the compounds and nature of radium.
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895)
Famous For: The process of Pasteurization and creation of Vaccines for Rabies and Anthrax.
In addition to developing the process of Pasteurization, Louis Pasteur discovered the assymetrical molecular structure on certain crytals. He made some of the earliest vaccines for rabies and anthrax, and the reduction of a bacterial infection in what is known as puerperal fever.
John Dalton (1766-1844)
Famous For: Identification and presenting the atomic theory
Recognized for his work on the atomic theory and research on color blindness.
He successfully identified chemical compounds and reactions affected by interaction of atoms with one another.
George Carver (1864-1943)
Famous For: Promoting alternative crops to cotton, such as peanuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes.
George Washington Carver found different crops to use instead of cotton.
He used peanuts, soybeans, sweet potatoes to keep the land productive. His intention was to keep the poor farmers healthy and productive.
- Michael Faraday (1791-1867)
Famous For: His contributions in electrochemistry and electromagnetism.
Faraday’s extensive work in the field of Chemistry includes the study chloring and carbon, both of which he discovered. In addition he made the earliest type of what we know today as the Bunsen burner.
He was the first to identify would known as nanoparticles in mettalic form.
Alfred Nobel (1833-1896)
Famous For: Inventing the dynamite
As the inventor of the dynamite, Alfred Nobel is seen as a chemist, innovator, engineer, and arms manufacturer. One of his earliest inventions include the gas meter.
At one time, he held nearly 350 patents on various items.
Rosalind Franklin (1920-1958)
Famous For: Discovery of the DNA structure in genetics
Rosalind Elsie Franklin and her contributions to science involve the study of the structures of coal, graphite, DNA, RNA, and viruses in understing their molecular structures.
- Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794)
Famous For: Being the “Father of Modern Chemistry”
Lavoisier was able to show the relationship between oxygen and metal, resulting in rust.
He also was able to show the role of oxygen in plant respiration and in animals.
It was he who showed that water was made of hydrogen and oxygen, and that air was composed mainly of oxygen and nitrogen in its gaseous state.
- Robert Boyle (1627-1691)
Famous For: Being the “Father of Modern Chemistry”
Lavoisier was able to show the relationship between oxygen and metal, resulting in rust. He also was able to show the role of oxygen in plant respiration and in animals.
It was he who showed that water was made of hydrogen and oxygen, and that air was composed mainly of oxygen and nitrogen in its gaseous state.
Linus Pauling (1901-1994)
Famous For: His work in molecular biology and quantum chemistry
A recipient of the Nobel Prize in the field of chemistry in 1954. His work in the field of chemistry is chronicled in his book The Nature of the Chemical Bond is believed as one of the most foundational books on chemistry.
Some people may ask ‘what about those alive?’
Being in Physical Chemistry, I’ll show my bias and give who I think are the most influential living Physical Chemists
- Stuart Rice (U Chicago): With something close to 110 PhD’s and countless postdocs—many of whom are outstanding physical chemists themselves, Prof. Rice is widely considered to be the Father, Grandfather, and Great-grandfather of modern p-chem.
- Dudley Hershbach (Harvard): Herschbach along with Y-T Lee pioneered the field of molecular reaction dynamics and did a wide number of ground breaking molecular beam experiments that gave us a first-principles quantum molecular dynamical view of chemical reactivity
- Bill Miller (Berkeley): Miller along with my own PhD mentor, John Light (UChicago) developed many of the modern theoretical methods used to understand and compute molecular reaction rates and dynamics.
- Rudy Marcus (Cal Tech): Developed probably the most widely used (and misused) theory of electron transfer.
Should also list: Martin Karplus, Shaul Mukamel, Ben Widom, Hans Andersen, Peter Rossky, Graham Fleming…
What could be the salary of a Chemist?
