On This Day in Science History - September 10 - Waldo Semon

September 10th is Waldo Semon's birthday. Semon was an American chemical engineer who discovered the process to make vinyl from polyvinyl chloride or PVC. He was working for the BF Goodrich chemical and rubber company to find an adhesive to bond rubber to metal and working with the polymer polyvinyl chloride. PVC in its raw form is a rigid and brittle material with little to no functional use. Semon did not find the adhesive he was searching for, but he did find out a combination of solvents and boiling would turn PVC into a flexible, elastic plastic. Plasticized PVC would become one of the most important and mass produced plastics in use today. It is used in many different construction applications like wiring insulation and plumbing. It is estimated that in the US alone, PVC tubing accounts for up to 75% of plumbing.

Thanks, Waldo! Find out what else occurred on this day in science history.

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