Nationality American Fields Chemistry Known for Polyvinyl chloride | Name Waldo Semon Awards Charles Goodyear Medal Role Inventor | |
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Born September 10, 1898
Demopolis, Alabama ( 1898-09-10 ) Alma mater University of Washington (B.S., Ph.D.) Notable awards Charles Goodyear Medal (1944)
Elliott Cresson Medal (1964) Died May 26, 1999, Hudson, Ohio, United States | ||
Education University of Washington | ||
Waldo Lonsbury Semon (September 10, 1898 – May 26, 1999) was an American inventor born in Demopolis, Alabama. He is credited with inventing methods for making polyvinyl chloride useful.
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Biography
He was born on September 10, 1898.
Semon is best known for inventing vinyl, the world's second most used plastic. He found the formula for vinyl by mixing a few synthetic polymers, and the result was a substance that was elastic, but wasn't adhesive. Semon worked on methods of improving rubber, and eventually developed a synthetic substitute. On December 11, 1935, he created Koroseal from salt, coke and limestone, a polymer that could be made in any consistency. Semon made more than 5,000 other synthetic rubber compounds, achieving success with Ameripol (AMERican POLymer) in 1940 for the B.F. Goodrich company. In all, Semon held 116 patents, and was inducted into the Invention Hall of Fame in 1995 at age 97.
While at B.F. Goodrich, Semon supervised another notable chemist: Benjamin S. Garvey, who also later received the Charles Goodyear Medal.
Semon is sometimes credited with inventing bubble gum, but this is inaccurate. He did invent an indigestible synthetic rubber substance that could be used as a bubble gum (and produced exceptionally large bubbles), but the product remained a curiosity and was never sold. Semon graduated from the University of Washington earning a BS in chemistry and a PhD in chemical engineering.
He was awarded the Charles Goodyear Medal in 1944 and the Elliott Cresson Medal in 1964. After retiring from B.F. Goodrich, he served as a research professor at Kent State University in Kent, Ohio. He died in Hudson, Ohio, on May 26, 1999.
Legacy
Waldo Semon Woods Conservation Area, is named in honor of the inventor, for his donation of land to Metro Parks, serving Summit County, Ohio. It is over 100 acres, with a pond where herons, turtles and amphibians are often seen.