Leo Hendrik Baekeland was born on November 14, 1863, in Ghent, Belgium. His father was a shoe repairman. His mother worked as a maid.
Baekeland was not the kind of boy who let people direct his interests. When he took on a hobby, he took it on with a lot of enthusiasm. For a number of years Leo’s dream was to run away to sea. To be ready for this great adventure Leo mastered geography, while his efforts in other subjects were just enough to get by.
Eventually he found a hobby that was more interesting than the sea. This hobby led him to his career. On many nights when Leo was supposed to be studying, he would pull out his equipment and develop pictures he had taken on that day.
Leo quickly learned that if he wanted to accomplish very much in photography he would have to learn about the chemicals used in the process. Since Leo’s school did not teach any subjects that delt with photography, Baekeland had to turn to night school at the Municipal Technical School of Ghent to satisfy his curiosity. Leo’s teachers at the night school were amazed at how quickly he caught on to the concepts of chemistry.
Once Baekeland found himself in desperate need of silver nitrate solution used to make film. He had no money to purchase supplies, so he used his chemical skills to extract, or remove, the needed silver from a watch that was given to him by a relative. After he had dissolved the silver watch chain in nitric acid, Leo figured out a way to separate the impurities, so that he would have a high-quality solution of silver nitrate.
Baekeland showed so much promise in chemistry that he was admitted a full-time student at the University of Ghent at the age of seventeen. After four years he earned his degree in chemistry. After serving as a lecture assistant, he took a job as a professor of chemistry and physics at the Government Normal School of Science in Bruges in 1887. He received first prize in a chemistry contest for graduates of Belgian universities. In 1889, twenty-six year old Baekeland was offered a post as assistant professor of chemistry at the high-ranked University of Ghent. Baekeland’s appearance was reinforced by his marriage to Celine Swarts. Celine was the daughter of his former chemistry teachers.
Leo was quite pleased when he was awarded a three-year fellowship to travel overseas to learn new methods and understandings in the chemistry of photography. It was a perfect way to combine his interests. Finally he would be fulfilling his old dream of being at sea, while at the same time undertaking his main interest, photography.
After visiting England and Scotland, Leo and his wife sailed to the United States where such pioneers, like George Eastman, were making giant advancements in simplifying the art of taking and developing pictures.
While in New York, Leo spoke with some businessmen who were so passionate about the photography industry that Baekeland couldn’t resist an offer they made him. He accepted a job from the E. & H.T. Anthony Company, a leading manufacturer of photographic paper. Leo and his wife then settled into life in a new country.
After Baekeland had worked in New York for two years, he set out on his own and opened his own group laboratory in New York City. Baekeland later said, “I tried to work out several inventions, the development of which would cost a fortune in subsides.” In poor health and with no money and rising bills, he came to the sensible conclusion that he was wasting time on big dreams far beyond his budget. He decided to focus on one simple project at a time, starting with a new method of removing tin from ore. An explosion and a near-tragic laboratory accident scared him away from completing that invention. With very little to show for his independent efforts, Baekeland changed to the safety of his normal area of expertise, photography.
One of the main problems of photography at the time was that prints of pictures could only be made if the weather cooperated. There was no way to get a clear print unless the sun was shining. In 1893, Baekeland broke through that limitation with the development of a mucusy silver nitrate paper called Velox. The paper was sensitive enough that pictures could be printed under less strong, artificial light.
Baekeland started a new company in partnership with businessman Leonardo Jacobi. The Nepera Chemical Company, as the project was called, faced an array of problems. A professional photographer, who had grown familiar with printing in the sunlight, was suspicious of this shortcut method. When the photographer tried it, he wrote to Baekeland saying, “Your paper is the greatest photography swindle of the age.” He meant it was a cheap paper, and it didn’t work. It was later found out that the photographer didn’t follow the directions.
Still, Velox seemed so reliable and easy to use that in 1899 George Eastman, from the wealthy Kodak Company, invited Baekeland to come visit him in Rochester, New York to discuss selling his procedure to Eastman. While Baekeland and his wife were riding on the train to New York, Baekeland decided that $25,000 seemed reasonable for his product. Baekeland became lucky. Eastman opened their agreement with an offer around $1,000,000. At the age of 36, he and his family were financially set for life. He did not coast on his success. He was more interested in the possibilities of chemistry. With the money he had from the sell of Velox, he got a new laboratory. He was free to do what he wished, without having to worry about not having enough money to pay the bills.
Then Baekeland was struck by a new passion in his life. In 1902 he experimented with two types of chemicals, phenols and aldehydes. By 1905 these chemicals became an obsession, just like photography had once been. There was one problem with these chemicals. They had a foul smell. Baekeland was trying to find a substitute for shellac, but he soon thought that he was onto something better. Baekeland soon made a hard, tough substance. He named it Bakalite, but he soon changed it to Bakelite. On July 13, 1907, Baekeland applied for a patent while he continued to perfect it.
His invention could not have come at a better time. It could be used for automobiles to make distributor heads, rotor arms, and many other small electric parts. It could also be used for airplane propellers, telephones, and years later, heat shields for space ships. From Baekeland’s discovery many different strengths of plastic were made.
Leo Baekeland died on February 23, 1944. He was 81 years old. He lived long enough to see the whole world following in his footsteps.