How Did Edith Flanigen Make the World Cleaner and Safer?

With more than 100 U.S. patents, National Inventors Hall of Fame^® Inductee Edith Flanigen has shaped a variety of industries and made a difference in our daily lives. Among this trailblazing chemist’s many inventions are molecular sieves, or zeolites. These manufactured compounds have significantly improved the process of making many products we use every day, from the gasoline that fuels our cars to the laundry detergent we use to wash our clothes.

Following an Insatiable Curiosity

Born in Buffalo, New York, on Jan. 28, 1929, Flanigen has said she grew up with “innate curiosity about anything.” She said she shared this curiosity with her father, a lumber company salesman who pursued a number of unique hobbies. When Flanigen reached high school, one of her teachers sparked her lifelong love of chemistry.

“I had an excellent chemistry teacher and she was one who insisted on hands-on, even in high school,” Flanigen recalled.

When Flanigen enrolled at Buffalo’s D’Youville College, she chose to major in chemistry at a time when women rarely were encouraged to pursue careers in STEM. She earned a bachelor’s degree in 1950, graduating as class president and valedictorian. She then attended Syracuse University, where she earned her master’s degree in inorganic-physical chemistry in 1952.

Leading Impactful Research

Soon after graduating from Syracuse, Flanigen joined Union Carbide Corp. in Tonawanda, New York, as a research chemist. She worked in the same division as her two sisters, Joan and Jane, who also had earned degrees in chemistry at D’Youville. “Surprisingly in [the lab at Union Carbide], there were an unusual number of women, compared to that era elsewhere,” Flanigen said.

Flanigen first was tasked with identifying, extracting and purifying a variety of silicone polymers. In 1956, she began advancing the emerging technology of molecular sieves. These crystalline, microporous structures had large internal void volumes and molecular-sized pores. Flanigen found that these compounds could be used to sort, separate and purify complex chemical mixtures based on the size of their pores, and they also could catalyze or speed the rate of hydrocarbon reactions.

In 1968, Flanigen was named head of Union Carbide’s molecular sieve research team. She later became the first woman to be named Corporate Research Fellow at Union Carbide in 1973 and Senior Corporate Research Fellow in 1982.

Throughout her career, which spanned over six decades, Flanigen invented or co-invented more than 200 novel synthetic materials and made substantial contributions to the product development of zeolite Y. This aluminosilicate sieve can be used to optimize the conversion of crude oil into gasoline and make oil refining more efficient, cleaner and safer.

“It’s been very satisfying because for all of my career, our task, our focus was to discover new materials,” she shared in an interview with the National Inventors Hall of Fame. “When you’re discovering new materials that have never existed before, it is really a great delight. And in fact, to me, it’s almost a bit of a spiritual thing in that you’re furthering creation. So, it’s been a very happy career for me.”

Flanigen’s work with molecular sieves also led to innovative applications in water purification and environmental cleanup. For example, her work contributed to decontaminating water at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant.

According to Flanigen, “Good ideas are even better ideas when they can improve people’s lives and help the Earth.”

Inspiring the Next Generation

Flanigen’s influential work has been recognized with many awards and honors. In 1992, she became the first woman to be awarded the Perkin Medal, America's top honor in applied chemistry. In 2014, she received the National Medal of Technology and Innovation from President Barack Obama at the White House.

Since her induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame in 2004, Flanigen has supported the Hall of Fame’s mission to provide STEM education programs, and competitions that promote creativity and advance the innovative spirit. She has served as a Judge for the Collegiate Inventors Competition^® and made personal visits to children participating in the Hall of Fame’s nationwide summer STEM program, Camp Invention^®.

Flanigen said the advice she might give to young innovators who are interested in pursuing STEM careers is, “Look for mentors, I had a couple of good ones early in my career. And master the skills of writing, communicating and working in teams.”

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