Edith M. Flanigen
Edith Marie Flanigen ( born January 28, 1929 in Buffalo, New York) is an American chemist and inventor.
Life
Flanigen acquired in 1950 at D' Youville College in Buffalo, New York a bachelor's degree in chemistry, and in 1952 at Syracuse University in Syracuse, New York a Masters degree in inorganic chemistry. Then she went from Union Carbide in the chemical industry, where it was in 1973 the first female research fellow ( research assistant) and 1983 senior research fellow ( head of a working group). In 1988, she moved to Universal Oil Products (UOP ), a subsidiary of Union Carbide and Allied Signal. In 1994 she retired, but remained active as a consultant for UOP.
Work
Flanigen has made important contributions to the development of molecular sieves of synthetic zeolites that have found wide use in the petrochemical industry. During her career at Union Carbide and UOP Flanigen has developed over 200 new synthetic materials and was instrumental in the development of zeolite Y. They also invented a method of artificially producing emeralds that were used in measles (Microwave Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation ) and as jewelry, and rendered in the application of infrared spectroscopy for the analysis of zeolites pioneering achievements.
Flanigen is the holder of more than 100 U.S. patents.