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Scientific Biographies

Science is a human pursuit. Meet some of the people who have contributed to the history of chemistry, chemical engineering, and the life sciences.
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Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier

This French chemist introduced the world to hydrogen and oxygen, terms that were at the heart of one of the hottest chemical debates of the 1700s.

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Detail of a French Philatelic First Day Cover commemorating the 2nd centenary of the birth of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier, ca. 1943.
Science History Institute
Illustration of Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier used on a French postage stamp

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black and white portrait of a man wearing a bowtie
Thomas Washington Talley
1868 - 1952
Joseph John “J. J.” Thomson
1856 - 1940
Portrait of Jacobus van't Hoff, before 1898.
Jacobus Henricus van’t Hoff
1852 - 1911
Evangelina Villegas in a lab, ca. 1970.
Evangelina Villegas Moreno
1924(25) - 2017
Portrait of William Walker
William Walker
1869 - 1934
James Watson and Francis Crick
James Watson
1928 - 2025
Harvey Washington Wiley
1844 - 1930
Maurice Wilkins with X-ray crystallographic equipment about 1954.
Maurice Wilkins
1916 - 2004
half-length portrait of German chemist Friedrich Wöhler
Friedrich Wöhler
1800 - 1882
David T. Wong
David T. Wong
b. 1935
Robert Burns Woodward
1917 - 1979
Rosalyn Yalow
1921 - 2011
Karl Ziegler (center) with members of the Hercules group that commercialized high-density polyethylene as Hi-fax.
Karl Ziegler
1898 - 1973
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About Scientific Biographies

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