Eugene G. Rochow

Eugene G. Rochow begins this interview by talking about his early years in New Jersey and his family background in the Brandenburg region of Germany. Rochow's interest in electricity and silicon stems from his first radio set, which he put together using silicon crystals. Sparked by his brother Theodore's interest in chemistry, Rochow joined his brother as a chemistry assistant both in high school and at Cornell University. He worked as both lecture and laboratory assistant to Louis M. Dennis, then chair of Cornell's chemistry department, who referred Rochow to Alfred Stock as a lecture assistant. Here, Rochow relates some anecdotes about Alfred Stock. Although the Depression caused severe cuts in job opportunities, Rochow found employment with the Hotpoint Company, a General Electric Company subsidiary, where he conducted research on periclase. During this time, Rochow produced ethyl phenyl silicone, which Corning Glass Works had also just produced, for use as an insulator. He then produced methyl silicone. This led to patent and publication difficulties between GE and Corning Glass Works, now the Dow-Corning Corporation. During this time, Rochow discovered how to produce methyl silicone, first using magnesium, then using silicochloroform and copper. Further, he and Charles E. Reed developed a way to manufacture methyl silicone using fluid-bed catalysis. Rochow continued his research on silicone production and zinc promotor development until his transfer to Richmond, Washington, where he conducted research on nuclear fission as a source of domestic energy. When the U.S. Government requested GE to work on nuclear propulsion for naval vessels, Rochow, a Quaker, left to teach chemistry at Harvard University. Rochow closes with comments on how his Perkin Medal award brought him international recognition and expanded professional opportunities.

Halowax Corporation

1931 - 1932 Research Chemist

Cornell University

1932 - 1935 Assistant Chemist

General Electric Company Research Laboratory

1935 - 1948 Research Chemist

Harvard University

1948 - 1951 Associate Professor

Harvard University

1951 - 1970 Professor

Harvard University

1970 Professor Emeritus

James J. Bohning

James J. Bohning is professor emeritus of chemistry at Wilkes University, where he was a faculty member from 1959 to 1990. He served there as chemistry department chair from 1970 to 1986 and environmental science department chair from 1987 to 1990. Bohning was chair of the American Chemical Society’s Division of the History of Chemistry in 1986; he received the division’s Outstanding Paper Award in 1989 and has presented more than forty papers at national meetings of the society. Bohning was on the advisory committee of the society’s National Historic Chemical Landmarks Program from its inception in 1992 through 2001 and is currently a consultant to the committee. He developed the oral history program of the Chemical Heritage Foundation, and he was the foundation’s director of oral history from 1990 to 1995. From 1995 to 1998, Bohning was a science writer for the News Service group of the American Chemical Society. He is currently a visiting research scientist and CESAR Fellow at Lehigh University. In May 2005, he received the Joseph Priestley Service Award from the Susquehanna Valley Section of the American Chemical Society.