Malcolm Renfrew
Malcolm MacKenzie Renfrew (born 12 October 1910) is a polymer chemist and inventor, after whom the Chemistry Department building in University of Idaho is named. He is noted for his contribution to the development of Teflon, including the first paper on the subject.
Life Renfrew was born 10 October 1910 in Spokane, Washington. He attended Potlatch High School in Potlatch, Idaho, going on to the University of Idaho where he graduated with a B.S. in 1932 and Masters in 1934. He gained a PhD from the University of Minnesota. He then worked for DuPont, where he produced a number of patents on polymethyl methacrylate, including one on photo polymerization, material for tooth repair, as well as epoxy resins and the first method of synthesis of poly (tetrafluoroethylene) in a form which was suitable for the commercial production of Teflon. After further industrial experience, in 1959 he returned to the University of Idaho as Head of the Department of Physical Science. In 1967 there was split into separate departments of physics and chemistry, with Renfrew as the Head of Chemistry, a position he retained until 1973. In 1938 he married Carol Campbell, a 1935 B.S. economics graduate of the University of Idaho. They celebrated their 70th Wedding Anniversary in 2008. Honours As well as for his research, he has been praised for his work on chemical safety and as an educator, both recognized in the American Chemical Society 1985 Chemical Health and Safety Award for “his publications and column on Chemical Safety in the Journal of Chemical Education.” In 2006 he received the Distinguished Science Communicator award. |
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