J. Paul Hogan
John Paul Hogan (August 7, 1919[1] – February 19, 2012)[2][3] was an American research chemist. Along with Robert Banks, he discovered methods of producing polypropylene and high-density polyethylene.[1]
Hogan was born in Lowes, Kentucky to Charles Franklin and Alma (Wyman) Hogan and earned B.S. degrees in both Chemistry and Physics at Murray State University of Kentucky in 1942. He taught at both the high school and college level before going to work in research at the Phillips Petroleum Company in 1944.
His work was primarily in the area of plastics and catalysts. In 1951, he invented crystalline polypropylene and high-density polyethylene (HDPE) with his fellow research chemist Robert Banks. The initial research drive was to oligomerize light olefins which were byproducts at the time from catalytic cracking reactions developed during WWII. Hogan and Banks had hoped to create a liquid fuel with high octane (antiknock) performance.[4] However, in a series of experiments, and after having added chromium as a second transition metal promoter, the scientists created crystalline structures.[5] These plastics were initially known by the name Marlex. He held (jointly) a number of important patents and authored research papers before he left Phillips in 1985.
After a few years as an independent consultant, he fully retired in 1993.
In 1987, he and Robert Banks together received the Perkin Medal Award[6] and both were given a Heroes of Chemistry award by the American Chemical Society in 1989.[7] In 2001, they were inducted into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.[1] Dr. Hogan was inducted into the Plastics Hall of Fame[8] in 2014.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Hall of Fame/inventor profile". National Inventors Hall of Fame. 2002. Archived from the original on 9 July 2010. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
- ^ "Noted Phillips chemist, plastics pioneer Paul Hogan succumbs to Alzheimer's". Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise. February 23, 2012. Archived from the original on February 22, 2014. Retrieved February 24, 2012.
- ^ Death notice in Tulsa World, February 20, 2012.
- ^ Seymour, Raymond B. (2013). History of Polyolefins: The World’s Most Widely Used Polymers. Springer Dordrecht. p. 103. ISBN 978-94-010-8916-6.
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: date and year (link) - ^ Seymour, Raymond B. (2013). History of Polyolefins: The World’s Most Widely Used Polymers. Springer Dordrecht. pp. 103, 104. ISBN 978-94-010-8916-6.
- ^ Emsley, John (1999). Molecules at an exhibition: portraits of intriguing materials in everyday life. Oxford University Press. p. 128. ISBN 0-19-286206-5.
- ^ "The Discovery of Polypropylene and the Development of a New High-Density Polyethylene". American Chemical Society. Archived from the original on 24 February 2012. Retrieved 1 February 2010.
- ^ Hogan, Paul (2014). "Dr. J. Paul Hogan".
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