Chemist no. 78 of 350 · Materials/Polymer

Leo Baekeland

1863-1944Belgium/United States

Bakelite, first synthetic plastic

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The discovery, explained

Leo Baekeland and Bakelite: The Birth of Synthetic Plastics

How Leo Baekeland made Bakelite from phenol and formaldehyde, the first fully synthetic thermosetting plastic. Reactions, cross-linking and exam points for JAM, NET, GATE.

Publishing soon · 5 min read

Biography

Leo Baekeland: The Chemist-Entrepreneur Who Started the Plastic Age

Biography of Leo Baekeland (1863-1944): Ghent student, Velox inventor, Bakelite plastic pioneer, entrepreneur and the lessons of his life for students.

Publishing soon · 5 min read

Academic lineage

Documented doctoral, postdoctoral and teaching links. Dashed chips are teachers outside the 350 chemists listed here.

Teachers: Theodore Swartsdoctoral
Students: No documented student link yet