Carleton Ellis
Encyclopedia
Carleton Ellis was an American
inventor and a pioneer in the field of organic chemistry
. He is the forgotten father of margarine
, polyester
, anti-knock gasoline
, paint and varnish remover, and holder of 753 patents. A native of Keene, New Hampshire
, he was the valedictorian
of his high school class, and later a graduate of MIT
. He then set up the Ellis Laboratories in Montclair, New Jersey
.
for plant growth without soil, and a healthier and more palatable version of margarine. Prior to 1913, there were substitutes for butter that had been made from animal fats that had high grease content and was often hard to digest. Ellis found a way to synthesize margarine from vegetable oils, and it is said that he helped create what is now a multi-billion dollar industry.
Ellis was the author of The Hydrogenation of Oils in Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry (1912) and a 1920 book of the same name.
, followed by a patent for polyester co-polymers in the year before his death (USP 2195362). Ellis died of influenza
at the age of 64, while vacationing at Miami Beach
. A merchant marine tanker, the Liberty vessel
S.S. Carleton Ellis, was later named in his honor during World War II
. TIME
Magazine eulogized him by writing, "Chemist Ellis' inventions gave birth to more than 100,000 compounds. He developed Standard Oil
's tube-&-tank process of cracking oil, found the formula for cheap acetone
to fireproof airplane wings in World War I
, and made plastics an exact and lucrative science.".
He was awarded the Edward Longstreth Medal
in 1916.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
inventor and a pioneer in the field of organic chemistry
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
. He is the forgotten father of margarine
Margarine
Margarine , as a generic term, can indicate any of a wide range of butter substitutes, typically composed of vegetable oils. In many parts of the world, the market share of margarine and spreads has overtaken that of butter...
, polyester
Polyester
Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
, anti-knock gasoline
Gasoline
Gasoline , or petrol , is a toxic, translucent, petroleum-derived liquid that is primarily used as a fuel in internal combustion engines. It consists mostly of organic compounds obtained by the fractional distillation of petroleum, enhanced with a variety of additives. Some gasolines also contain...
, paint and varnish remover, and holder of 753 patents. A native of Keene, New Hampshire
Keene, New Hampshire
Keene is a city in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 23,409 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Cheshire County.Keene is home to Keene State College and Antioch University New England, and hosts the annual Pumpkin Fest...
, he was the valedictorian
Valedictorian
Valedictorian is an academic title conferred upon the student who delivers the closing or farewell statement at a graduation ceremony. Usually, the valedictorian is the highest ranked student among those graduating from an educational institution...
of his high school class, and later a graduate of MIT
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
. He then set up the Ellis Laboratories in Montclair, New Jersey
Montclair, New Jersey
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 38,977 people, 15,020 households, and 9,687 families residing in the township. The population density was 6,183.6 people per square mile . There were 15,531 housing units at an average density of 2,464.0 per square mile...
.
Contributions
Ellis's contributions were in the improvement of existing technology, and they were significant. He developed gasoline that reduced engine knock, longer lasting housepaint, more durable polyesters and plastics, improved printing inks, methods for flameless combustion, methods for hydroponicsHydroponics
Hydroponics is a method of growing plants using mineral nutrient solutions, in water, without soil. Terrestrial plants may be grown with their roots in the mineral nutrient solution only or in an inert medium, such as perlite, gravel, mineral wool, or coconut husk.Researchers discovered in the 18th...
for plant growth without soil, and a healthier and more palatable version of margarine. Prior to 1913, there were substitutes for butter that had been made from animal fats that had high grease content and was often hard to digest. Ellis found a way to synthesize margarine from vegetable oils, and it is said that he helped create what is now a multi-billion dollar industry.
Ellis was the author of The Hydrogenation of Oils in Journal of the Society of Chemical Industry (1912) and a 1920 book of the same name.
Highlights
In 1933, he was issued the first American patent (USP 1897977) for an unsaturated polyesterPolyester
Polyester is a category of polymers which contain the ester functional group in their main chain. Although there are many polyesters, the term "polyester" as a specific material most commonly refers to polyethylene terephthalate...
, followed by a patent for polyester co-polymers in the year before his death (USP 2195362). Ellis died of influenza
Influenza
Influenza, commonly referred to as the flu, is an infectious disease caused by RNA viruses of the family Orthomyxoviridae , that affects birds and mammals...
at the age of 64, while vacationing at Miami Beach
Miami Beach, Florida
Miami Beach is a coastal resort city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States, incorporated on March 26, 1915. The municipality is located on a barrier island between the Atlantic Ocean and Biscayne Bay, the latter which separates the Beach from Miami city proper...
. A merchant marine tanker, the Liberty vessel
Liberty ship
Liberty ships were cargo ships built in the United States during World War II. Though British in conception, they were adapted by the U.S. as they were cheap and quick to build, and came to symbolize U.S. wartime industrial output. Based on vessels ordered by Britain to replace ships torpedoed by...
S.S. Carleton Ellis, was later named in his honor during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. TIME
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
Magazine eulogized him by writing, "Chemist Ellis' inventions gave birth to more than 100,000 compounds. He developed Standard Oil
Standard Oil
Standard Oil was a predominant American integrated oil producing, transporting, refining, and marketing company. Established in 1870 as a corporation in Ohio, it was the largest oil refiner in the world and operated as a major company trust and was one of the world's first and largest multinational...
's tube-&-tank process of cracking oil, found the formula for cheap acetone
Acetone
Acetone is the organic compound with the formula 2CO, a colorless, mobile, flammable liquid, the simplest example of the ketones.Acetone is miscible with water and serves as an important solvent in its own right, typically as the solvent of choice for cleaning purposes in the laboratory...
to fireproof airplane wings in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and made plastics an exact and lucrative science.".
He was awarded the Edward Longstreth Medal
Franklin Institute
The Franklin Institute is a museum in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and one of the oldest centers of science education and development in the United States, dating to 1824. The Institute also houses the Benjamin Franklin National Memorial.-History:On February 5, 1824, Samuel Vaughn Merrick and...
in 1916.
Publications
- The Hydrogenation of Oils, Catalyzers and Catalysis, and the Generation of Hydrogen and Oxygen (Scientific Books, 1915)
- Synthetic Resins and Their Plastics (Chemical Catalog Company, 1923)
- The Chemical Action of Ultraviolet Rays (Chemical Catalog Company, 1925)
- The Hydrogenation of Organic Substances (Van Nostrand, 1930)
- The Chemistry of Petroleum Derivatives (Chemical Catalog Company 1934)
- The Chemistry of Synthetic Resins (Reinhold, 1935)
- Printing Inks: Their Chemistry (Reinhold, 1940)
- (with Joseph V. Meigs) Gasoline and Other Motor Fuels(Van Nostrand, 1921)
- (with Miller W. Swaney) Soilless Growth of Plants (Reinhold, 1939)
- (with Herbert R. Simonds) Handbook of Plastics (Van Nostrand, 1943)