Overview

Roy J. Plunkett (June 26, 1910 - May 12, 1994) was the chemist who accidentally invented Teflon (Polytetrafluoroethylene) on April 6, 1938. In 1936 he was hired as a research chemist by E.I. du Pont de Nemours and Company at their Jackson Laboratory in Deepwater, New Jersey. On April 6, 1938 Plunkett checked a frozen, compressed 100 pound (45 kg) container of tetrafluoroethylene, used in chlorofluorocarbon refrigerant production. When he opened the container to remove an amount for chlorination (using hydrochloric acid), Plunkett discovered that nothing came out. When he checked to see why, he discovered that a white powder had formed which did not adhere to the container. The tetrafluoroethylene in the container had polymerized into Polytetrafluoroethylene (Teflon), a waxy solid with amazing properties such as resistance to corrosion, low surface friction, and high heat resistance. The product, trademarked as Teflon® in 1945, was first used by the military in artillery shell fuses and in the production of nuclear material for the Manhattan Project. After World War II DuPont found a wide range of uses for Teflon® such as electrical cable insulation, soil and stain repellant for fabrics, and coating for non-stick cookware.

There is now concern about the hazards of Teflon type chemicals.

References

• Roy J. Plunkett - wikipedia
• Roy J. Plunkett - DuPont

Picture - Roy J. Plunkett with a cable insulated with Teflon and a Teflon-coated muffin tin. (Source: Gift of Roy Plunkett, Courtesy Hagley Museum and Library)