In 1993, the ACS kicked off its National Historic Chemical Landmark program by commemorating a rather interesting object at the National Museum of American History—the Bakelizer. This iron-alloy steam vessel was used around 1909 to make large batches of Leo Baekeland’s thermosetting resin, Bakelite, the first fully synthetic plastic. Unlike many of the ACS landmarks, the Bakelizer is an object and not a location.<br/>Just as the NHCL program uses historic places to explore the history of chemistry, objects in NMAH’s chemistry collections highlight the multitude of ways that chemistry has affected American life. Some of these objects are well known, like the Bakelizer, and others, like a “silk” purse made from a sow’s ear, are not. They have been collected over lifetimes and for different reasons. This talk will only hint at the variety of NMAH’s holdings and the stories that inspire curiosity and further research. From museum exhibits to online object groups, we use historical artifacts to explore the changing nature of chemistry and its related fields.<br/>

From Bakelite to biochemistry: Highlights from the National Museum of American History’s collections

254th National Meeting (2017)

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