Julian W. Hill (1904-1996) was an American chemist who helped develop

nylon Nylon is a family of synthetic polymers characterised by amide linkages, typically connecting aliphatic or Polyamide#Classification, semi-aromatic groups. Nylons are generally brownish in color and can possess a soft texture, with some varieti ...

Early life

Julian W. Hill was born in 1904, and he grew up in

Warrenton, Missouri Warrenton is a city and county seat of Warren County, Missouri, United States. The population was 7,880 according to the 2010 Census. Warrenton is an exurb of St. Louis, and is located in the St. Louis Metropolitan Statistical Area. Warrenton's ...

. He graduated from the School of Engineering & Applied Science at

Washington University in St. Louis Washington University in St. Louis (WashU) is a private research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1853 by a group of civic leaders and named for George Washington, the university spans 355 acres across its Danforth ...

in 1924, where he earned a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering, and he went on to earn a PhD in organic chemistry from the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

in 1928.

Career

Hill joined

DuPont Dupont, DuPont, Du Pont, duPont, or du Pont may refer to: People * Dupont (surname) Dupont, also spelled as DuPont, duPont, Du Pont, or du Pont is a French surname meaning "of the bridge", historically indicating that the holder of the surname re ...

, where he worked as a chemist in the Experimental Station laboratories under

Wallace H. Carothers Wallace Hume Carothers (; April 27, 1896 – April 29, 1937) was an American chemist, inventor, and the leader of organic chemistry at DuPont, who was credited with the invention of nylon. Carothers was a group leader at the DuPont Experimen ...

's supervision. He initially studied

polymer A polymer () is a chemical substance, substance or material that consists of very large molecules, or macromolecules, that are constituted by many repeat unit, repeating subunits derived from one or more species of monomers. Due to their br ...

s in the 1920s. By 1930, he had used a cold drawing method to produce a

polyester Polyester is a category of polymers that contain one or two ester linkages in every repeat unit of their main chain. As a specific material, it most commonly refers to a type called polyethylene terephthalate (PET). Polyesters include some natura ...

.Wallace Carothers and the Development of Nylon
ACS National Historic Chemical Landmark Hill's cold drawing method was used by Carothers in 1934 to develop the

polyamide A polyamide is a polymer with repeating units linked by amide bonds. Polyamides occur both naturally and artificially. Examples of naturally occurring polyamides are proteins, such as wool and silk. Artificially made polyamides can be made throug ...

later named

, which was patented by DuPont and was a greater commercial success due to its higher melting point. Hill was promoted to assistant director of the chemical department. He also served on DuPont's steering committee from 1932 to 1951. He became the Chair of DuPont's Committee on Educational Aid in 1951, and he helped fund academic programs in the United States until his retirement in 1964.

Personal life and death

Hill married Mary Louisa "Polly" Butcher, a

Vassar College Vassar College ( ) is a private liberal arts college in Poughkeepsie, New York, United States. Founded in 1861 by Matthew Vassar, it was the second degree-granting institution of higher education for women in the United States. The college be ...

alumna, in 1931. They had two sons and a daughter. He had

poliomyelitis Poliomyelitis ( ), commonly shortened to polio, is an infectious disease caused by the poliovirus. Approximately 75% of cases are asymptomatic; mild symptoms which can occur include sore throat and fever; in a proportion of cases more severe ...

. He retired at the Cokesbury Village retirement village in

Hockessin, Delaware Hockessin () is a census-designated place (CDP) in New Castle County, Delaware, New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The population was 13,478 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 Census. History Hockessin came into existence as a littl ...

with his wife, where he died on January 29, 1996.

References

1904 births 1996 deaths Scientists from St. Louis McKelvey School of Engineering alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology School of Science alumni 20th-century American chemists DuPont people People from Warrenton, Missouri Chemists from Missouri {{US-chemist-stub