Dow, Herbert H.

Dow, Herbert H.

▪ American chemist
in full  Herbert Henry Dow  
born Feb. 26, 1866, Belleville, Ont., Can.
died Oct. 15, 1930, Rochester, Minn., U.S.

      pioneer in the American chemical industry and founder of the Dow Chemical Company.

      Dow first became interested in brines (brine) (concentrated solutions of salts and water) while attending Case School of Applied Science (now Case Western Reserve University) in Cleveland (B.S.; 1888). His analysis of brines from several sites revealed that those of Canton, Ohio, and Midland, Mich., were rich in bromine. He developed and patented electrolytic methods for extracting bromine from brine and in 1890 organized the Midland Chemical Company. The Dow process was remarkable in that it did not result in a salt by-product and that it operated on comparatively little fuel, which was provided by waste from the then-thriving Michigan lumber industry. The process also involved the first commercially successful use of the direct-current generator in the American chemical industry.

      In 1895 Dow founded the Dow Process Company to electrolyze brine for chlorine (producing caustic soda and sodium hypochlorite) at Navarre, Ohio, soon moving the company to Midland and creating the Dow Chemical Company (1897) to absorb the Midland Chemical and Dow Process. Dow's chlorine products found application in insecticides and (through the electrolysis of magnesium chloride) stucco and magnesium metal. He further introduced automatic processing to produce magnesium sulfate (Epsom salts) from ocean brines, produced the first synthetic indigo process in the Western Hemisphere (1916), and was the first American producer of iodine (which he also extracted from brine). He eventually was granted some 65 patents as his company became one of the world's leading chemical manufacturers.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Dow,Herbert Henry — Dow, Herbert Henry. 1866 1930. American chemist and manufacturer who developed and patented more than 100 chemical processes and founded the Dow Chemical Company (1897). * * * …   Universalium

  • Dow, Herbert H(enry) — born Feb. 26, 1866, Belleville, Ont., Can. died Oct. 15, 1930, Rochester, Minn., U.S. U.S. inventor and manufacturer. After attending college in Cleveland, Dow developed and patented electrolytic methods (the Dow process) for extracting bromine… …   Universalium

  • Dow, Herbert H(enry) — (26 feb. 1866, Belleville, Ontario, Canadá–15 oct. 1930, Rochester, Minn., EE.UU.). Inventor y fabricante estadounidense. Después de estudiar en la escuela universitaria en Cleveland, desarrolló y patentó métodos electrolíticos (el proceso Dow)… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Dow — /dow/, n. 1. Gerrard Du. /gay rddahrddt/. See Dou, Gerard. 2. Herbert Henry, 1866 1930, U.S. chemist, inventor, and industrialist. * * * (as used in expressions) Dow Chemical Co. Dow Jones average Dow Herbert Henry * * * …   Universalium

  • Herbert — ist ein männlicher Vorname und ein Familienname. Die seltene weibliche Form des Vornamens lautet Herberta. Herkunft und Bedeutung Der Name Herbert, auch Heribert, entstand aus der Zusammensetzung der althochdeutschen Wörter „heri“ für Heer,… …   Deutsch Wikipedia

  • Herbert — Herbert, George * * * (as used in expressions) Asquith, H(erbert) H(enry), 1 conde de Oxford y Asquith Best, Charles H(erbert) Bradley, F(rancis) H(erbert) Herbert Ernst Karl Frahm Bush, George (Herbert Walker) Dillinger, John (Herbert) Dow,… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Dow Chemical Company — ▪ American company       American chemical and plastics manufacturer that is one of the world s leading suppliers of chemicals, plastics, synthetic fibres, and agricultural products. Headquarters are in Midland, Mich.       Dow Chemical Company… …   Universalium

  • dow — dow1 /dow, doh/, v.i., dowed or dought /dowt/, dowing. Scot. and North Eng. 1. to be able. 2. to thrive; prosper; do well. [bef. 900; ME dowen, doghen, OE dugan to be worthy; c. G taugen; cf. DOUGHTY] dow2 /dow/ …   Universalium

  • Herbert — /herr beuhrt/, n. 1. Frank, 1920 86, U.S. science fiction writer. 2. George, 1593 1633, English clergyman and poet. 3. Victor, 1859 1924, U.S. composer and orchestra conductor, born in Ireland. 4. a male given name: from Old English words meaning …   Universalium

  • Dow — (as used in expressions) Dow Chemical Co. Dow Jones, promedio Dow, Herbert H(enry) …   Enciclopedia Universal

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