Malcolm MacKenzie Renfrew (October 12, 1910 – October 12, 2013) was an American

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 ...

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

, inventor, and

professor emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retirement, retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". ...

at the

University of Idaho The University of Idaho (U of I, or UIdaho) is a public land-grant research university in Moscow, Idaho, United States. Established in 1889 and opened three years later, it was the state's sole university for 71 years, until 1963. The un ...

Moscow, Idaho Moscow ( ) is a city and the county seat of Latah County, Idaho. Located in the North Central Idaho, North Central region of the state along the border with Washington (state), Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 United States ...

. Renfrew Hall, the university's chemistry building, was named for him in 1985. Renfrew is noted for his contribution to the development of

Teflon Polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) is a synthetic fluoropolymer of tetrafluoroethylene, and has numerous applications because it is chemically inert. The commonly known brand name of PTFE-based composition is Teflon by Chemours, a spin-off from ...

, including the first paper on the subject.Renfrew, M. M and Lewis E. E. (1946) Journal of Industrial and Engineering Chemistry Vol 38, 870-7 ''Polytetrafluorethylene: heat-resistant, chemically inert plastic'' In 1946 he spoke on behalf of

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 ...

at the

American Chemical Society The American Chemical Society (ACS) is a scientific society based in the United States that supports scientific inquiry in the field of chemistry. Founded in 1876 at New York University, the ACS currently has more than 155,000 members at all ...

(ACS) meeting at which Teflon was announced.

Early life

Born in

Spokane, Washington Spokane ( ) is the most populous city in eastern Washington and the county seat of Spokane County, Washington, United States. It lies along the Spokane River, adjacent to the Selkirk Mountains, and west of the Rocky Mountain foothills, south o ...

, Renfrew was the elder of two sons of Earl and Elsie MacKenzie Renfrew. Earl was an accountant and the family later moved to the

Palouse The Palouse ( ) is a geographic region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of North Central Idaho, north central Idaho, southeastern Washington (part of eastern Washington), and by some definitions, parts of northeast Oregon. ...

at Colfax, and then across the

Idaho Idaho ( ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest and Mountain states, Mountain West subregions of the Western United States. It borders Montana and Wyoming to the east, Nevada and Utah to the south, and Washington (state), ...

border to nearby

Potlatch A potlatch is a gift-giving feast practiced by Indigenous peoples of the Pacific Northwest Coast of Canada and the United States,Harkin, Michael E., 2001, Potlatch in Anthropology, International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Scienc ...

in 1923. Renfrew graduated from Potlatch High School in 1928 and attended the

in nearby

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

, where he joined the

Phi Gamma Delta Phi Gamma Delta (), commonly known as Phi Gam and sometimes written as FIJI, is a North American social fraternity with 139 active chapters and 13 colonies across the United States and Canada. It was founded at Jefferson College, Pennsylvania ...

fraternity A fraternity (; whence, "wikt:brotherhood, brotherhood") or fraternal organization is an organization, society, club (organization), club or fraternal order traditionally of men but also women associated together for various religious or secular ...

and wrote for
The Argonaut
', the student newspaper. Originally interested in journalism, he switched his major to

chemistry Chemistry is the scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies the chemical elements that make up matter and chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules a ...

and graduated with a B.S. in 1932 and an

M.S. A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medicine ...

in 1934. Alumni Hall of Fame Award Winners - 1977 He then traveled to the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

to continue his studies and earned a

Ph.D. A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

from the

University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...

Minneapolis Minneapolis is a city in Hennepin County, Minnesota, United States, and its county seat. With a population of 429,954 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the state's List of cities in Minnesota, most populous city. Locat ...

in 1938.Minnesota Chemists Newsletter
Spring 1985 page 9

Career

After gaining his doctorate, Renfrew worked for

New Jersey New Jersey is a U.S. state, state located in both the Mid-Atlantic States, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern United States, Northeastern regions of the United States. Located at the geographic hub of the urban area, heavily urbanized Northeas ...

, where he produced a number of patents on

polymethyl methacrylate Poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) is a synthetic polymer derived from methyl methacrylate. It is a transparent thermoplastic, used as an engineering plastic. PMMA is also known as acrylic, acrylic glass, as well as by the trade names and brands ...

, including one on photopolymerization,M. M. Renfrew (1948) US Patent 2448828 ''Photopolymerization'' material for tooth repair,M. M. Renfrew (1943) US Patent 2335133 ''Tooth Reconstruction'' as well as

epoxy resins Epoxy is the family of basic components or Curing (chemistry), cured end products of epoxy Resin, resins. Epoxy resins, also known as polyepoxides, are a class of reactive prepolymers and polymers which contain epoxide groups. The epoxide fun ...

M. M. Renfrew & H. Wittcoff (1955) US Patent 2705223 ''Thermosetting resinous compositions from epoxy resins and polyamides derived from polymeric fat acids'' and the first method of synthesis of poly(tetrafluoroethylene) in a form which was suitable for the commercial production of

.Malcolm M. Renfrew (1950) US Patent 2534058 ''Polymerization of tetrafluoroethylene with dibasic acid peroxide catalysts'' This is cited by many other subsequent patents It had been accidentally invented in 1938 by DuPont chemist

Roy Plunkett Roy Joseph Plunkett (June 26, 1910 – May 12, 1994) was an American chemist. He discovered polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE), better known as Teflon, in 1938. Personal life and education Plunkett was born in New Carlisle, Ohio and attended Newton ...

, as a by-product of

chlorofluorocarbon Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFCs) are fully or partly Halogenation, halogenated hydrocarbons that contain carbon (C), hydrogen (H), chlorine (Cl), and fluorine (F). They are produced as volatility (chemistry), volat ...

refrigerant A refrigerant is a working fluid used in the cooling, heating, or reverse cooling/heating cycles of air conditioning systems and heat pumps, where they undergo a repeated phase transition from a liquid to a gas and back again. Refrigerants are ...

research. After further industrial experience with

General Mills General Mills, Inc. is an American multinational corporation, multinational manufacturer and marketer of branded ultra-processed consumer foods sold through retail stores. Founded on the banks of the Mississippi River at Saint Anthony Falls in ...

Company back in Minneapolis and Spencer Kellogg & Sons, Inc. in

Buffalo Buffalo most commonly refers to: * True buffalo or Bubalina, a subtribe of wild cattle, including most "Old World" buffalo, such as water buffalo * Bison, a genus of wild cattle, including the American buffalo * Buffalo, New York, a city in the n ...

, Renfrew returned west in 1959 to his

alma mater Alma mater (; : almae matres) is an allegorical Latin phrase meaning "nourishing mother". It personifies a school that a person has attended or graduated from. The term is related to ''alumnus'', literally meaning 'nursling', which describes a sc ...

in Moscow to head the UI Department of Physical Science. This was split into separate departments of physics and chemistry in 1967, with Renfrew as the Head of Chemistry, a position he retained until 1973; he retired in 1976 and became professor emeritus.

Honors

In 1976, he was made a

Fellow A fellow is a title and form of address for distinguished, learned, or skilled individuals in academia, medicine, research, and industry. The exact meaning of the term differs in each field. In learned society, learned or professional society, p ...

of the

. Well known for his research, Renfrew was praised for his work on chemical safety and as an educator, both recognized in the ACS 1985 Chemical Health and Safety Award for "his publications and column on Chemical Safety in the ''

Journal of Chemical Education The ''Journal of Chemical Education'' is a monthly peer-reviewed academic journal available in both print and electronic versions. It is published by the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society The American Chemical S ...

''". In 2006 he received the Distinguished Science Communicator award. Renfrew was also an artist: an exhibition of his paintings was held in Moscow City Hall in November–December 2010.City of Moscow Arts Dept
Third Street Gallery ''Celebrating 100 Years - Malcom Renfrew'' His 100th birthday, October 12, 2010, was declared as "Malcolm M. Renfrew Day" in the state by

Governor A governor is an politician, administrative leader and head of a polity or Region#Political regions, political region, in some cases, such as governor-general, governors-general, as the head of a state's official representative. Depending on the ...

Butch Otter Clement Leroy "Butch" Otter (born May 3, 1942) is an American businessman and politician who served as the 32nd List of Governors of Idaho, governor of Idaho from 2007 to 2019. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, h ...

.University of Idaho News release, October 11, 2010
Celebrating a Century Part of the celebration was the rededication of Renfrew Hall, the chemistry building named for him a quarter century earlier. Opened in 1964 as the Physical Sciences Building ("Phy-Sci"), it was renamed "Renfrew Hall" in October 1985 for his 75th birthday.University of Idaho
- College of Science - Malcolm Renfrew turns 100 - October 2010

Personal

Shortly after gaining his doctorate, he married Carol Joy Campbell (September 19, 1913 – January 12, 2010), on June 26, 1938. A member of

Kappa Alpha Theta Kappa Alpha Theta (), commonly referred to simply as Theta, is an international Fraternities and sororities, sorority founded on January 27, 1870, at DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana. It was the first Greek-letter fraternity established ...

sorority In North America, fraternities and sororities ( and ) are social clubs at colleges and universities. They are sometimes collectively referred to as Greek life or Greek-letter organizations, as well as collegiate fraternities or collegiate sorori ...

, she was a 1935 B.S. economics graduate of the University of Idaho from Rosalia,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

. Born on a farm near Fairfield, Washington, at the time of her death at age 96, they had been married for over 71 years.Journal of the University of Idaho
1 Dec 2006Moscow-Pullman Daily News online
Jan 16, 2010, Obituary: Carol J. Campbell Renfrew Renfrew was an Elder of the

Presbyterian Church Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Christianity, Reformed Protestantism, Protestant tradition named for its form of ecclesiastical polity, church government by representative assemblies of Presbyterian polity#Elder, elders, known as ...

, a gifted

watercolorist Watercolor (American English) or watercolour (Commonwealth English; see American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, spelling differences), also ''aquarelle'' (; from Italian diminutive of Latin 'water'), is a painting metho ...

, and played the

trombone The trombone (, Italian, French: ''trombone'') is a musical instrument in the Brass instrument, brass family. As with all brass instruments, sound is produced when the player's lips vibrate inside a mouthpiece, causing the Standing wave, air c ...

.Moscow Renaissance Fair 2001
Malcolm and Carol Renfrew He was a member of the

Idaho Vandals The Idaho Vandals are the intercollegiate athletic teams representing the University of Idaho, located in Moscow, Idaho. The Vandals compete at the NCAA Division I level as a member of the Big Sky Conference. The Idaho Vandals football, footbal ...

Non-Marching Pep Band and the "Hog Heaven

Big Band A big band or jazz orchestra is a type of musical ensemble of jazz music that usually consists of ten or more musicians with four sections: saxophones, trumpets, trombones, and a rhythm section. Big bands originated during the early 1910s and ...

." ("Hog Heaven" was an early name for Moscow, due to plentiful camas roots.) Renfrew died at his residence in Moscow at Good Samaritan Village on October 12, 2013, his 103rd birthday. His mother Elsie (1889–1987) lived to age 98, and his younger brother Edgar (1915–2010), who also had a doctorate in chemistry, reached age 95.

References

External links

* * *
Legendary Locals of Moscow
' – Malcolm M. Renfrew

- visit with Malcolm Renfrew *
Here We Have Idaho
' - Spring 2011 - "Mr. Chemistry Celebrates A Century" - p. 6-11 {{DEFAULTSORT:Renfrew, Malcolm 1910 births 2013 deaths 20th-century American chemists 20th-century American inventors Fellows of the American Chemical Society American men centenarians People from Moscow, Idaho People from Spokane, Washington University of Idaho alumni University of Idaho faculty University of Minnesota alumni Inventors from Idaho Scientists from Washington (state) Scientists from Idaho Inventors from Washington (state)