When chemistry is mentioned, many people think of either the jumbled atomic numbers on the pages of a book or the fuming test tubes in a laboratory. Yes, chemists deal with these as well, but their main purpose is to understand matter. Many of our senses such as seeing, hearing, tasting and touching are actually reactions that occur as a result of the interaction of chemical substances.
For this very reason, countless chemists have conducted studies on these issues throughout history. While some of them were respected by everyone during their period, what others did could only be understood years later. Of course, if we wanted to talk about all of them one by one, we would have to write three volumes of books, but let’s get to know some of the most famous chemists in the history of science.
The most important chemists who have influenced the history of science:
- Marie Curie
- Louis Pasteur
- Alfred Nobel
- Joseph Priestley
- Dmitri Mendeleev
- Alice Ball
- Dorothy Hodgkin
- Harold Clayton Urey
- Rosalind Franklin
- Jons Jacob Berzelius
- Marie Maynard Daly
- Mario Molina
- Aziz Sancar
A lifetime spent with radiation: Marie Curie
Marie Curie, who lived between 1897 and 1934, isolated radioactive isotopes and discovered polonium and radium. Marie Curie, who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911, carried out her studies under very difficult conditions with her husband, Pierre Curie. Developing mobile X-ray devices that can be used to detect injuries on the war front, Curie has carried out important studies that will affect nuclear physicists for many years.
Thanks to him if we can drink milk: Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur, who lived between 1822 and 1895, discovered the pasteurization method, which is named after him. Having studied beer and wine souring, Pasteur discovered a method that is also used in milk today, when he discovered that he destroyed the microbes that spoil them by boiling and cooling the liquid. He also started the first vaccination process, seeing how diseases spread and how the body reacted to it.
He has a prize like ‘bomb’: Alfred Nobel
Alfred Nobel, who lived between 1833 and 1896, worked with nitroglycerin throughout his youth and invented dynamite, which works by interacting with different substances. Later, Nobel, who strengthened his invention by discovering the detonator, established a foundation after his death and bequeathed this foundation to give Nobel Prizes. We have described the life of Alfred Nobel in detail before:
Breathe into the world of science: Joseph Priestley
Joseph Priestley, who lived from 1733 to 1804, was both a philosopher, a politician, and a clergyman. What made him into the history of science is that he was the first chemist to discover oxygen. Experimenting with this then-new concept of air, Joseph Priestley closed a group of rats in an air-filled container and saw what they experienced. In other words, without it, we wouldn’t know what to do in places where we need oxygen support.
The chemist who created the periodic table: Dmitri Mendeleev
Dmitri Mendeleev, who lived from 1834 to 1907, developed the periodic table listing the chemical elements. Until then, some of the elements were known, but no common list was made. Dmitri Mendeleev listed 56 known elements according to their properties in this table. Mendeleev, who said that he saw this work in his dreams in a speech he made at the Russian Chemical Society, was awarded the Davy Medal and the Faraday Lectureship Award.
The leprosy healer: Alice Ball
Alice Ball, who lived from 1892 to 1916, was both the first black and the first woman to earn a master’s degree in chemistry from the University of Washington. Working on leprosy, which we have described in detail here, Alice Ball saved the lives of thousands of people with the treatment method she found. Unfortunately, he passed away at the age of 24.
The chemist who mastered X-rays: Dorothy Hodgkin
Dorothy Hodgkin, who lived from 1910 to 1994, developed the X-ray crystallography technique by working for decades. In the following years, she solved the three-dimensional structure of cholesteryl iodide, a type of steroid, the structure of penicillin and the structure of B12. Determining the insulin structure has been a real life saver. Dorothy Hodgkin, winner of the 1964 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, is also the recipient of the Lomonosov Gold Medal.
He studied the moonstones: Harold Clayton Urey
Harold Clayton Urey, who lived from 1893 to 1981, wondered if there were different isotopes of hydrogen while working on isotopes and developed a new technique. By removing the isotope of hydrogen, he discovered deuterium, which is twice as heavy. Harold Clayton Urey, who participated in space studies in the 1950s, was one of the names who examined the samples brought from the Moon by the Apollo spacecraft.
DNA’s forgotten heroine: Rosalind Franklin
Rosalind Franklin, who lived between 1920 and 1958, got her doctorate by discovering the fine structure of coal and graphite, and then started working with X-rays. Rosalind Franklin, who examined DNA and RNA with this technique, suggested that the DNA molecule has a double helix structure, and this claim was later proved by James Watson. She is also referred to as the forgotten heroine of DNA because she died at a young age.
Pioneering work: Jöns Jacob Berzelius
Jöns Jacob Berzelius, who lived from 1779 to 1848, was an empiricist and a methodical experimenter who made pioneering work in the field of electrochemistry. Discovering that elements have atomic weights, Berzelius developed the law of fixed proportions. In addition to revealing the atomic weights of 45 different elements, he also discovered the elements silicon, titanium, selenium, thorium, cerium and zirconium. He was also the first to distinguish between organic and inorganic components.
Discovered the deadly harms of smoking: Marie Maynard Daly
Marie Maynard Daly, who lived between 1921 and 2003, made history as the first black woman to have a doctorate in chemistry. Marie Maynard Daly, who has studied proteins, cholesterol and sugar throughout her career, was one of the first to discover the effects of smoking on the lungs. In addition to these studies, she also carried out studies that paved the way for minority groups to enter universities during a time when racism was at its peak.
Chemist who discovered ozone depletion: Mario Molina
Mario Molina, who lived between 1943 and 2020, conducted numerous experiments with atmospheric pollutants during his studies focused on hot atom chemistry. According to his results, he discovered that chlorofluorocarbon could destroy the Earth’s ozone layer and even begin to destroy it. Thanks to his work, Mario Molina was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995.
Our national pride: Aziz Sancar
Aziz Sancar, who was born in Mardin in 1946, has been working at the University of North Carolina, USA since 1997. Sancar, who is also a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, has been conducting DNA studies for many years. He was awarded the 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work mapping how damaged DNA cells are repaired and genetic information protection.
We have listed some of the most important chemists who have left their mark on thousands of years of world science history. Of course, this list could have been much, much longer. You can share other chemists that you think changed the history in the comments.
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