During the course of his career Thomas Alva Edison received more than 1000 patents and while almost everyone thinks of Edison as an inventor, it was his ability to understand the chemistry behind his work that allowed him to succeed in so many of his endeavors. In this presentation some of the chemistry associated with Edison’s lifetime of work will be presented including a discussion of one of his final research projects, the search for a domestic source of rubber that was actually a joint venture between Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and Harvey Firestone. The presentation will also discuss the granting of National Historic Chemical Landmark status to three of Edison’s laboratories by the ACS which occurred in 2014.

The chemistry of Thomas Edison

249th National Meeting (2015)

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