Baekeland, Leo Hendrik (1863–1944)

Belgian-born US chemist. He invented Bakelite, the first commercial plastic, made from formaldehyde (methanal) and phenol. He also made a photographic paper, Velox, which could be developed in artificial light.

Baekeland was born in Ghent and educated there and at Charlottenburg Technische Hochschule in Germany. He was associate professor of chemistry at Ghent University 1882–89, and later professor of chemistry and physics at Bruges. In 1889 he moved to the USA, setting up as a consultant in his own laboratory in New York. He began making Velox photographic paper in 1893, and sold the invention and the manufacturing company to Kodak for $1 million 1899. Bakelite was patented in 1906 and in 1909 he founded the General Bakelite Corporation, later to become part of the Union Carbide and Carbon Company.