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To celebrate National Chemistry Week (Oct. 18 – 24) in the U.S., we're taking a few moments to recognize and remember chemists who made critical contributions to the success of DuPont.

Science -- and in particular, chemistry -- has been the cornerstone of DuPont for more than two centuries. The company shifted its focus from explosives to chemistry during the 1900s, and chemistry along with biology has enabled DuPont to emerge as the market-driven science company it is today. 

Scientists, central to this transformation, have been catalysts for change. From cars to carpets, electronics to utility services -- and just about everything in between -- our scientists' discoveries are found in millions of consumer products globally.

Here are a few notable chemists whose accomplishments made a difference for DuPont and in the world.

• Great chemists in DuPont history include Lammot du Pont, Wallace Carothers, Stephanie Kwolek and Charlie Pederson.

  Founder E.I. du Pont de Nemours studied advanced explosives production techniques with Antoine Laurent Lavoisier, the father of modern chemistry. E.I. used this knowledge to start his gun powder business in 1802. Today, a Lavoisier Medal for Technical Achievement honors scientists and engineers throughout the company's history for outstanding contributions.
• E.I.'s grandson, Lammot du Pont, obtained a science degree from the University of Pennsylvania and entered the family business. Lammot patented B blasting powder (also known as soda powder) in 1857. His invention made DuPont a major force in the explosives industry for the rest of the 19^th century.
• In 1935, nylon was discovered by Wallace Carothers, whose work at DuPont focused on polymers. Wallace worked with Elmer Bolton, assistant chemical director. Today, the Bolton/Carothers Innovative Science Award recognizes creative scientific invention or discovery that results in recently-commercialized products or technology.
• Roy Plunkett, best known as the inventor of Teflon®, had a long career at DuPont after his famous discovery in 1938. Roy received many honors, including election to the Plastics Hall of Fame in 1973 and the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 1985.
• Working with Paul Morgan, Stephanie Kwolek developed the first liquid crystal polymer that provided the basis for Kevlar® brand fiber. Researchers had struggled to develop a stiffer and tougher nylon-related fiber until 1965, when Stephanie broke the deadlock by devising a liquid crystal solution that could be cold-spun. Stephanie was awarded the National Medal of Technology in 1996.
• Charlie Pedersen, DuPont’s only Nobel laureate, began his career with DuPont at the Chambers Works’ Jackson Laboratory in Deepwater, New Jersey. One of Charlie’s early accomplishments was to improve the process for making the “antiknock” gasoline additive, tetraethyl lead. In 1959, Charlie transferred to the Experimental Station in Wilmington, Del., to join the Elastomers Department. It was there that he discovered the crown ethers for which he shared the 1987 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Today, DuPont employs more than 5,000 scientists and engineers in more than 50 R&D centers worldwide.  Many of them are applying their innovations to address global trends driven by unprecedented population growth -- increasing food productivity, decreasing dependence on fossil fuels, protecting the lives and the environment, and growth in emerging markets.