Per K. Frolich A
O
N JANUARY 1, 1943, Per K. Frolich
will succeed Harry K. Holmes as
President
of
the
AMERICAN
CHEMICAL
SOCIETY, the largest professional organi zation of its kind in the world. Taking office at 43, he is the youngest man to serve as President of the SOCIETY in more than 30 years and i s the first representative from the petroleum industry elected to the presidency. Born in Norway, 1899, Dr. Frolich ob tained his undergraduate training at the Norway Institute of Technology from which he was graduated in 1921 with a B.S. degree. He was originally trained as an electrochemist, and early in his under graduate work so favorably impressed his instructors that he was given an assistantship in chemistry in 1919 and again in 1920. In 1922 Dr. Frolich accepted an Ameri can-Scandinavian Foundation fellowship for graduate work at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. There was little to indicate that this young man from Norway, who had crossed the Atlantic for graduate work in electrochemistry and chemical engineering, would, 20 years later, contribute s o greatly to the war effort of his adopted country. According to his instructors a t M. I. T., his work in the classroom and laboratory was charac terized b y quiet effectiveness, and he im pressed all those with whom he came in contact as being thoroughly grounded in the fundamentals of his chosen science. He received his M.S. degree in 1923 and was given a research assistantship so that he could continue his advanced studies for his doctorate. After receiving his doctor's degree i n 1925, h e remained at Μ. Ι . Τ. as research associate, became assistant professor of chemical engineering in 1927 and associate professor in 1929. From 1927 to 1929 he served as assistant direc tor of the Research Laboratory of Applied Chemistry. His early participation in the vigorous forms of athletics for which his native land is noted helped to build up the splen did physique which permitted him to carry on such a wide variety of research activi ties along with his teaching duties. Dur
1620
C S. President, 1943 ing the period 1922 to 1930, h e had pub lished some 30 scientific papers covering the general field of electrochemistry, high-pressure synthesis, and the role of catalysts in high-pressure reactions. His work in this latter field received world wide recognition and, in 1930, h e was awarded the Grasselli medal by the So ciety of Chemical Industry for his work on gas reactions carried out under high pres sure. Although Dr. Frolich was keenly inter ested in research and teaching, he was at all times the practical scientist and be came increasingly interested in the indus trial development of the many problems on which he had carried out basic research. In 1929 he joined the research staff of the Standard Oil Development Co. His out standing ability was quickly recognized and he advanced rapidly, becoming assist ant director of the Research Laboratories in 1931 and director in 1933. On account of the rapidly expanding research programs of the Development Co., it became neces sary t o segregate the chemical and purely oil research activities, and in 1935 Dr. Frolich was appointed chief chemist of the Standard Oil Development Co. and in 1936 became director of the new Chemical Division of the Esso Laboratories. Under his direction, the chemical activi ties of the Development Co. have been ex panded and have covered a wide variety of investigations including various types of lube oil additives, the chemical utilization of refinery gases, high-pressure oxidation, synthesis of both low and high molecular weight polymers from petroleum gases, synthetic rubber raw materials, and syn thetic rubbers. One of the outstanding contributions of the Esso LaboratoriesChemical Division has been the develop ment of Butyl rubber which finds so many uses in our war effort. Dr. Frolich and his associates have also developed improved methods for the production of butadiene and other synthetic rubber raw materials, and have made available to various indus tries the "know how" of the Buna rubbers. Always a believer in cooperative effort, Dr. Frolich was quick t o recognize the role of the AMERICAN CHEMICAL SOCIETY
CHEMICAL
in furthering the chemical industry in the United States. He has been active in the councils of the SOCIETY and served as vice chairman and chairman of the North Jer sey Section in 1933 and 1934. From 1936 through 1938 he was vice chairman of the Petroleum Division and chairman from 1938 to 1940. In 1940 he was elected councilor at large. He has also found time to be an active member of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers, American Society of Automotive Engineers, the Society of Chemical Industry, the Chemical Society and the Chemists' Club. In spite of his industrial duties, he has contributed to various scientific societies some 50 tech nical papers. He also holds approxi mately 50 patents issued or applied for. It is a tribute to D r . Frolich's tremen dous energy that his accomplishments in his chosen field have not prevented his becoming an outstanding American, keenly interested in civic activities and in various sports.
National Conference of Electron Microscopy Formed R
BOWLING
B A R N E S , of the Stamford
Research Laboratories of American Cyanamid Co., was elected first president of t h e National Conference of Electron Microscopy formed by leading workers in this field meeting at the National Chemi cal Exposition, Chicago, November 2 7 to 28. Albert F. Prebus, of Ohio State University, was elected vice president of the new organization, and Charles Banca, of R. C. A. Manufacturing Co., Camden, N. J., its secretary-treasurer. V. K. Zworykin, of the R. C. A. organization, and O. S. Duffendach, University of Michigan, were elected to serve with the officers of the conference as its directors. G. L. Clark, University of Illinois, pre sided at the formation meeting. Dr. Clark, L. S. Matheson, D o w Chemical Co., and Dr. Duffendach constituted the committee which called and arranged the initial conference.
A N D ENGINEERING
NEWS
