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People Behind the Science

Alfred Bernhard Nobel (1833–1896)

lfred Nobel was a Swedish industrial and in 1859, the family returned to Sweden. and four other people. Nobel turned his
Achemist and philanthropist who in- During the next few years, Nobel developed attention to devising a safer method of
vented dynamite and endowed the Nobel several new explosives and factories for mak- handling the sensitive liquid nitroglycerin.
Foundation, which after 1901 awarded the ing them, and became a rich man. His many experiments with nitroglycerin
annual Nobel Prizes. Guncotton, a more powerful explo- led to the development of the explosive
Nobel was born in Stockholm, Sweden, sive than gunpowder, had been discovered dynamite, which he patented in Sweden,
on October 21, 1833, the son of a builder and in 1846 by a German chemist. It was made Britain, and the United States in 1867.
industrialist. His father, Immanuel Nobel, by nitrating cotton fiber with a mixture of Consisting of nitroglycerin absorbed by a
was also something of an inventor, and his con centrated nitric and sulfuric acids. A year porous diatomite mineral, dynamite was
grandfather had been one of the most im- later, an Italian discovered nitroglycerin, thought to be convenient to handle and
portant Swedish scientists of the seventeenth made by nitrating glycerin (glycerol). This safer to use.
century. Alfred Nobel attended St. Jakob’s extremely powerful explosive gives off Nobel was a prolific inventor whose
Higher Apologist School in Stockholm be- 1,200 times its own volume of gas when projects touched on the fields of electro-
fore the family moved to St. Petersburg, it explodes, but for many years, it was too chemistry, optics, biology, and physiology.
Russia, where he and his brothers were dangerous to use because it can be set off He was also involved in problem solving
taught privately by Russian and Swedish much too easily by rough handling or shak- in the synthetic silk, leather, and rubber
tutors, always being encouraged to be inven- ing. Alfred and his father worked indepen- industries, and in the manufacture of ar-
tive by their father. From 1850 to 1852, Nobel dently on both explosives when they re- tificial semiprecious stones from fused
made a study trip to Germany, France, Italy, turned to Sweden, and in 1862, Immanuel alumina. In his will, made in 1895, he left
and North America, improving his knowl- Nobel devised a comparatively simple way almost all his fortune to set up a founda-
edge of chemistry and mastering all the nec- of manufacturing nitroglycerin on a fac- tion that would bestow annual awards on
essary languages. During the Crimean War tory scale. In 1863, Alfred Nobel invented “those who, during the preceding year,
(1853–1856), Nobel worked for his father’s a mercury fulminate detonator for use with shall have conferred the greatest benefit
munitions company in St. Petersburg, whose nitroglycerin in blasting. on mankind.” In 1958, the new element
output during the war was large. After the In 1864, their nitroglycerin factory number 102 was named nobelium in his
fighting ended, Nobel’s father went bankrupt, blew up, killing Nobel’s younger brother honor.

Source: Modified from the Hutchinson Dictionary of Scientific Biography © Research Machines 2008. All rights reserved. Helicon Publishing is a division of Research Machines.

The properties of polyethylene are changed by replac- If all hydrogens of an ethylene molecule are replaced with
ing one of the hydrogen atoms in a molecule of ethylene. If atoms of fluorine, the product is polytetrafluorethylene, a tough
the hydrogen is replaced by a chlorine atom, the compound plastic that resists high temperatures and acts more as a metal
is called vinyl chloride, and the polymer formed from vinyl than a plastic. Since it has a low friction, it is used for bearings,
chloride is gears, and as a nonsticking coating on frying pans. You probably
know of this plastic by its trade name of Teflon.
H H
G G There are many different polymers in addition to PVC,
Styrofoam, and Teflon, and the monomers of some of these are
H Cl
G
C P C G
shown in Figure 12.24. There are also polymers of isoprene, or
synthetic rubber, in wide use. Fibers and fabrics may be poly-
polyvinyl chloride (PVC). Polyvinyl chloride is used to make
amides (such as nylon), polyesters (such as Dacron), or poly-
plastic water pipes, synthetic leather, and other vinyl products.
acrylonitriles (Orlon, Acrilan, Creslan), which have a CN in
It differs from the waxy plastic of polyethylene because of the
place of a hydrogen atom on an ethylene molecule and are called
chlorine atom that replaces hydrogen on each monomer.
acrylic materials. All of these synthetic polymers have added
The replacement of a hydrogen atom with a benzene ring
much to practically every part of your life. It would be impossi-
makes a monomer called styrene. Styrene is
ble to list all of their uses here; however, they present problems
H H because (1) they are manufactured from raw materials obtained
G G from coal and a dwindling petroleum supply, and (2) they do
not readily decompose when dumped into rivers, oceans, or
H
C P C G
G
other parts of the environment. However, research in the polymer
sciences is beginning to reflect new understandings learned from
and polymerization of styrene produces polystyrene. Poly- research on biological tissues. This could lead to whole new
styrene is puffed full of air bubbles to produce the familiar molecular designs for synthetic polymers that will be more
Styrofoam coolers, cups, and insulating materials. compatible with the environment.
12-19 CHAPTER 12 Organic Chemistry 317