John E. Franz
Encyclopedia
John E. Franz is an organic chemist who discovered the herbicide glyphosate while working at Monsanto Company in 1970. The chemical became the active ingredient in Roundup, a broad-spectrum, post-emergence herbicide. This discovery had an incredible effect on the agricultural community, allowing farmers (as well as average homeowners) to easily and effectively control the growth of weeds. Franz has earned much acclaim and many rewards for this breakthrough. He also has over 840 patents to his name worldwide.
. By the age of ten, he knew he wanted to be a scientist. Franz received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1951 and received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Minnesota
in 1955. He has a wife named Elinor (whom he married in 1951) and four children (Judith, Mary, John, and Gary).
. After finishing his Ph.D., Franz was hired by Monsanto as a Resident Chemist in 1955. His brilliance and creativity were apparent even before he discovered glyphosate as he was appointed Group Leader in 1959. He focused on process research, new polymer
synthesis, and the development of plasticizers and polymer flame retardants. Franz received two patents while working in the organic division, one for nitrates in 1960, and one for a fire retardant in 1967. He transferred to the Agricultural Division of Monsanto in 1967, motivated by the department’s “emphasis on publishing, academic contacts, and the freedom to pursue ideas” (Monsanto biography). Because his background was in organic chemistry
, Franz familiarized himself with the new field by spending a year studying and learning about plant physiology and biochemistry before beginning research.
Franz discovered the herbicide glyphosate, and received five dollars for his first patent from Monsanto. From 1960 to 1988, he received over 840 patents worldwide including approximately fifty in the United States. Over the course of his career, Franz published over forty papers and wrote the book "Glyphosate: A Unique Global Herbicide" with Michael K. Mao and James A. Sikorski. He was promoted to Senior Scientific Fellow in 1975, then Distinguished Fellow in 1980, and later in his career went back to the organic division to concentrate on environmentally friendly products until he retired in 1991.
Although all of the patents regarding glyphosate list Franz as the sole inventor and the Monsanto Company as the assignee, Franz acknowledged that the discovery was a group effort. In 2007, when he was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame, Franz said, “It's a recognition of the entire team of scientists who worked on and supported the development of Roundup herbicides". Glyphosate works by absortion through leaves, and then moving rapidly to a plant’s roots, rhizomes, and meristems. This invaluable breakthrough immediately spurred Monsanto to design and produce plants genetically immune to glyphosates in order to make it easier for farmers to thoroughly spray down their fields for weeds without killing their own crops.
Once glyphosate was invented, it took four years to reach the market. It was first introduced as "Roundup", and is still best known by that brand. One brand of glyphosate-based herbicide, AquaMaster, is approved to kill plants in water. Various brands of the herbicide are marketed to backyard farmers, maintenance crews, and professional farmers alike. Pure glyphosate is an acid, but is usually sold as an isopropylamine salt. On the market, it is commonly found as a water-soluble concentrate or as a powder paired with a surfactant such as polyethoxethyleneamine. The surfactant helps the herbicide penetrate the plant cells more easily. Technical grade glyphosate is an odorless white crystalline powder, and by itself has low mammalian toxicity. Increasingly, there have been reports of Roundup having harmful effects on humans. The combination of glyphosate and a surfactant has been found toxic to human placental cells in vitro. Roundup concentrate has been ingested in multiple suicide attempts in Japan, some of which have been successful.
chemistry (glyceride and phospholipid syntheses, liposomes), plant hormone chemistry (abscissic acid analogs, ethylene generators), and nitride sulfide chemistry. He also performed research pertaining to reaction mechanisms, coenzyme A
antimetabolites, biorational design of herbicides, and periselective addition reactions of one- and threedipoles, as well as fundamental organic research.
, one of the few agricultural technologies to ever receive the honor. Franz received the American Chemical Society
’s Carothers Award in 1989 for “outstanding contributions and advances in industrial applications of chemistry”. In 1990, he was awarded the Perkins Medal by the American Section of the Society of Chemical Industry, based on his contributions to the research and development of applied chemistry. Franz also won the Outstanding Achievement Award in 1988, the 1988 Missouri Award, and was named the St. Louis Metropolitan Bar Association Inventor of the Year in 1986. Roundup was named one of the “Top 10 Products That Changed the Face of Agriculture” by the magazine Farm Chemicals in 1994. Franz was inducted into the United States' Inventor's Hall of Fame on May 5, 2007.
Monsanto has also created two awards in his honor. On December 8, 1995, the agricultural company introduced the Franz Sustainability Award, which consists of an annual $100,000 prize given to the individual or team that submits the best environmental project for improvement in the areas of conservation, technology, and/or education. Soon after Franz’s induction into the Inventors’ Hall of Fame, Monsanto announced a new annual scholarship called the Franz Innovation Award Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded each year to a graduate student taking organic chemistry at the University of Minnesota.
Early Life and education
John Edward Franz was born on December 21, 1929 in Springfield, IllinoisSpringfield, Illinois
Springfield is the third and current capital of the US state of Illinois and the county seat of Sangamon County with a population of 117,400 , making it the sixth most populated city in the state and the second most populated Illinois city outside of the Chicago Metropolitan Area...
. By the age of ten, he knew he wanted to be a scientist. Franz received a Bachelor of Science degree in chemistry from the University of Illinois in 1951 and received his Ph.D. in organic chemistry from the University of Minnesota
University of Minnesota
The University of Minnesota, Twin Cities is a public research university located in Minneapolis and St. Paul, Minnesota, United States. It is the oldest and largest part of the University of Minnesota system and has the fourth-largest main campus student body in the United States, with 52,557...
in 1955. He has a wife named Elinor (whom he married in 1951) and four children (Judith, Mary, John, and Gary).
Career
Franz has spent his entire career at Monsanto in St. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis, Missouri
St. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
. After finishing his Ph.D., Franz was hired by Monsanto as a Resident Chemist in 1955. His brilliance and creativity were apparent even before he discovered glyphosate as he was appointed Group Leader in 1959. He focused on process research, new polymer
Polymer
A polymer is a large molecule composed of repeating structural units. These subunits are typically connected by covalent chemical bonds...
synthesis, and the development of plasticizers and polymer flame retardants. Franz received two patents while working in the organic division, one for nitrates in 1960, and one for a fire retardant in 1967. He transferred to the Agricultural Division of Monsanto in 1967, motivated by the department’s “emphasis on publishing, academic contacts, and the freedom to pursue ideas” (Monsanto biography). Because his background was in 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...
, Franz familiarized himself with the new field by spending a year studying and learning about plant physiology and biochemistry before beginning research.
Franz discovered the herbicide glyphosate, and received five dollars for his first patent from Monsanto. From 1960 to 1988, he received over 840 patents worldwide including approximately fifty in the United States. Over the course of his career, Franz published over forty papers and wrote the book "Glyphosate: A Unique Global Herbicide" with Michael K. Mao and James A. Sikorski. He was promoted to Senior Scientific Fellow in 1975, then Distinguished Fellow in 1980, and later in his career went back to the organic division to concentrate on environmentally friendly products until he retired in 1991.
Discovery of Glyphosate
Researchers at Monsanto had been searching for a herbicide that was effective against annual and perennial weeds for nine years but found little success. They knew of two phosphonic acid compounds that were ineffective against weeds, and the researchers were not able to advance the compounds. Franz took over the research in 1969 and incorrectly hypothesized that the phosphonic acids acted as proherbicides that were metabolized to active compounds rather than herbicides. Franz and his research team screened possible metabolites and synthesized compounds and eventually discovered glyphosate in 1970.Although all of the patents regarding glyphosate list Franz as the sole inventor and the Monsanto Company as the assignee, Franz acknowledged that the discovery was a group effort. In 2007, when he was inducted into the National Inventor's Hall of Fame, Franz said, “It's a recognition of the entire team of scientists who worked on and supported the development of Roundup herbicides". Glyphosate works by absortion through leaves, and then moving rapidly to a plant’s roots, rhizomes, and meristems. This invaluable breakthrough immediately spurred Monsanto to design and produce plants genetically immune to glyphosates in order to make it easier for farmers to thoroughly spray down their fields for weeds without killing their own crops.
Once glyphosate was invented, it took four years to reach the market. It was first introduced as "Roundup", and is still best known by that brand. One brand of glyphosate-based herbicide, AquaMaster, is approved to kill plants in water. Various brands of the herbicide are marketed to backyard farmers, maintenance crews, and professional farmers alike. Pure glyphosate is an acid, but is usually sold as an isopropylamine salt. On the market, it is commonly found as a water-soluble concentrate or as a powder paired with a surfactant such as polyethoxethyleneamine. The surfactant helps the herbicide penetrate the plant cells more easily. Technical grade glyphosate is an odorless white crystalline powder, and by itself has low mammalian toxicity. Increasingly, there have been reports of Roundup having harmful effects on humans. The combination of glyphosate and a surfactant has been found toxic to human placental cells in vitro. Roundup concentrate has been ingested in multiple suicide attempts in Japan, some of which have been successful.
Other Research
Dr. Franz undertook research in many areas during his time at Monsanto. Some of his other chemistry research includes antiauxin chemistry (isothiazoles, isoxasoles, pyrazoles), plant chemistry, cell membraneCell membrane
The cell membrane or plasma membrane is a biological membrane that separates the interior of all cells from the outside environment. The cell membrane is selectively permeable to ions and organic molecules and controls the movement of substances in and out of cells. It basically protects the cell...
chemistry (glyceride and phospholipid syntheses, liposomes), plant hormone chemistry (abscissic acid analogs, ethylene generators), and nitride sulfide chemistry. He also performed research pertaining to reaction mechanisms, coenzyme A
Coenzyme A
Coenzyme A is a coenzyme, notable for its role in the synthesis and oxidation of fatty acids, and the oxidation of pyruvate in the citric acid cycle. All sequenced genomes encode enzymes that use coenzyme A as a substrate, and around 4% of cellular enzymes use it as a substrate...
antimetabolites, biorational design of herbicides, and periselective addition reactions of one- and threedipoles, as well as fundamental organic research.
Honors, Awards, and Recognitions
Franz has received many awards for his important discovery. In 1977, he was awarded the IR-100 award by Industrial Magazine. In 1981, he received the first J.F. Queeny Award from Monsanto to honor an invention that was also a commercial success. He was the recipient of the 1987 National Medal of TechnologyNational Medal of Technology
The National Medal of Technology and Innovation is an honor granted by the President of the United States to American inventors and innovators who have made significant contributions to the development of new and important technology...
, one of the few agricultural technologies to ever receive the honor. Franz received the American Chemical Society
American Chemical Society
The American Chemical Society is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 161,000 members at all degree-levels and in all fields of chemistry, chemical...
’s Carothers Award in 1989 for “outstanding contributions and advances in industrial applications of chemistry”. In 1990, he was awarded the Perkins Medal by the American Section of the Society of Chemical Industry, based on his contributions to the research and development of applied chemistry. Franz also won the Outstanding Achievement Award in 1988, the 1988 Missouri Award, and was named the St. Louis Metropolitan Bar Association Inventor of the Year in 1986. Roundup was named one of the “Top 10 Products That Changed the Face of Agriculture” by the magazine Farm Chemicals in 1994. Franz was inducted into the United States' Inventor's Hall of Fame on May 5, 2007.
Monsanto has also created two awards in his honor. On December 8, 1995, the agricultural company introduced the Franz Sustainability Award, which consists of an annual $100,000 prize given to the individual or team that submits the best environmental project for improvement in the areas of conservation, technology, and/or education. Soon after Franz’s induction into the Inventors’ Hall of Fame, Monsanto announced a new annual scholarship called the Franz Innovation Award Scholarship. This scholarship is awarded each year to a graduate student taking organic chemistry at the University of Minnesota.
Patents
Franz has over 840 patents to his name concerning glyphosate and lesser known discoveries. Because of the nature of glyphosate, it requires many patents concerning identification, synthesis, and other processes required to produce the chemical.- Patent Number: 3853530, Regulating Plants With
- Patent Number: 3977860, Herbicidal compositions and methods employing esters of
- Patent Number: 3954848, Process for producing N-phosphonomethy glycine
- Patent Number: 4735649, Gametocides
- Patent Number: 4634788, Herbicidal glyphosate oxime derivatives
- Patent Number: 4094661, Plant Growth Regulators