Paul Flory

Paul John Flory (June 19, 1910 – September 9, 1985) was an American chemist and Nobel laureate who was known for his work in the field of polymers, or macromolecules.

Flory was born in Sterling, Illinois, on June 19, 1910 to Ezra Flory and Nee Martha Brumbaugh.

His father worked as a clergyman-educator, and his mother was a school teacher.

His ancestors were German Huguenots, who traced their roots back to Alsace.

He first gained his interest in science from Carl W Holl, who was a professor in chemistry.

Holl was employed in Indiana at Manchester College as a chemistry professor.

After graduating from Elgin High School in Elgin, Illinois in 1927, Flory received a bachelor's degree from Manchester College (Indiana) (now Manchester University) in 1931 and a Ph.D. from the Ohio State University in 1934.

He completed a master's degree in organic chemistry under the supervision of Prof. Cecil E Boord.

Flory then pursued his doctorate thesis in physical chemistry studying the photochemistry of nitric oxide, supervised by Prof. Herrick L. Johnston.

In 1934, after receiving his Ph.D., he joined the Central Department of Dupont and Company working with Wallace H. Carothers.

After receiving his doctorate in 1934, he dealt with a variety of issues with physical chemistry.

This having to do with the kinetics and mechanisms of polymeric substances.

Having to do with the distribution of molar mass, solution of thermodynamics and hydrodynamics.

In 1936, he married Emily Catherine Tabor.

He and Emily had three children together: Susan Springer, Melinda Groom and Paul John Flory, Jr. They also had five grandchildren.

All of his children pursued careers in the field of science.

His first position was at DuPont with Wallace Carothers.

After the death of Carothers in 1937, Flory was involved for two years at the Basic Research Laboratory located in the University of Cincinnati.

During World War II, there was a need for research to develop synthetic rubber, so Flory joined the Esso Laboratories of the Standard Oil Development Company.

During 1943 to 1948 was the Research Laboratory of the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company.

In fact, he was the director of research at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company, leading the team for studies on polymers.

After working in the industry, Flory left to work at Cornell University for a lectureship.

The lectureship was with the George Fisher Baker Non-Residents.

During the lectureship, Flory was able to study and understand a way to treat the effect of the excluded volume.

According the nobelprize.org polymers, "would be nonasymptotic with the length of the chain, that is the fear of the contribution by the exclusion of the segment of the chain from the space occupied would increase without a limit as the chain is lengthened. This was the volume on the configuration of polymer chains. In 1957, Flory and his family decided to make the move to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The reason he and his family moved from New York to Pennsylvania was for him to be able to develop a program of basic research in chemistry at the Carnegie Mellon Institute. After his work at the Carnegie Mellon Institute, he accepted a professorship position at Stanford University in the department of chemistry. While he was at Stanford University, he changed his direction of research. The change of view in his studies has to do with the spatial configuration having to do with chain molecules.

This have to do with configuration treatments having to do with chain molecules.

The treatment is the dependent properties through mathematical methods.

Not only is mathematical methods the only treatment but so is the thermodynamics of solutions.

After his retirement he Flory remained still very active in the world of chemistry.

He was a consultant for Dupont and IBM, not long after he retired.

Flory also was involved with the study of the foundations in the Soviet Union started off by the professor MV Volkenstein and his collaborators.

He also worked with the late professor of Kazuo Nagai in Japan.

He felt the need to fight for scientists who were oppressed in various countries.

In addition, he also spoke as the "Voice of America", during a broadcast in Eastern Europe as well as Soviet Union.

He was a leading pioneer in understanding the behavior of polymers in solution, and won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1974 "for his fundamental achievements, both theoretical and experimental, in the physical chemistry of macromolecules".

Flory also worked for the "Committee on Human Rights" which is known as the National Academy of Sciences from 1979 to 1984.

During 1980, he worked as a delegate at the scientific forum in Hamburg.

Flory died on September 9, 1985, due to a massive heart attack.

He was posthumously inducted into the Alpha Chi Sigma Hall of Fame in 2002.

His wife Emily died in 2006 aged 94.