Flory, Paul John (1910–1985)

US polymer chemist. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1974 for his investigations of synthetic and natural macromolecules. With Wallace Carothers, he developed nylon, the first synthetic polyamide, and the synthetic rubber neoprene.

Flory pioneered research substances made up of giant molecules, such as rubbers, plastics, fibres, films, and proteins. In addition to developing polymerization techniques, he discovered ways of analysing polymers. Many of these substances are able to increase the lengths of their component molecular chains and Flory found that one extending molecule can stop growing and pass on its growing ability to another molecule. Flory's later researches looked for and found similarities between the elasticity of natural organic tissues – such as ligaments, muscles, and blood vessels – and synthetic and natural plastic materials.

Flory was born in Sterling, Illinois, and educated at Manchester College, Indiana, and Ohio State University. He then embarked on a career as an industrial research chemist, working successively for Du Pont (with Carothers), Esso, and the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Company. He was professor of chemistry at Cornell University 1948–56 and at Stanford University from 1961.