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The Most Influential Chemists of the 20th Century
- Marie Curie advanced the science of radioactivity, winning Nobel Prizes in both Physics and Chemistry.
- Gilbert N. Lewis transformed bonding theory with Lewis dot structures and the octet rule.
- Irving Langmuir pioneered surface chemistry, earning a Nobel Prize for his work on thin films.
- Linus Pauling explained chemical bonding with quantum mechanics and introduced electronegativity.
- Dorothy Hodgkin used X-ray crystallography to solve structures of insulin, penicillin, and vitamin B12.
- Robert Woodward mastered organic synthesis, creating complex molecules like chlorophyll and vitamin B12.
- Ahmed Zewail opened femtochemistry, capturing reactions in femtoseconds with ultrafast lasers.
- Rosalind Franklin provided the X-ray evidence that revealed DNA’s double helix.
- Glenn T. Seaborg discovered ten elements, including plutonium, reshaping the periodic table.
- These chemists’ breakthroughs defined modern chemistry, from the atom to life-saving medicines.