Roth, James
Published: February 20, 2007, 8:10 pm
Updated: February 20, 2007, 8:10 pm
This article has been reviewed by the following Topic Editor:
Peter Saundry
James Roth. (Courtesy James Roth.)
The accomplishments of James Roth (1925– ) display how catalytic processes similar to those described in Petroleum and Petrochemicals can be used to sculpt environmentally friendly molecules.
A plant for making linear olefins for biodegradable detergents, Chocolate Bayou, Texas. (Source: Monsanto Company.)
Roth came of age during World War II. Having completed high school and attended two years of college, at the age of 18 Roth was serving as a navigator aboard a Navy vessel that landed Marines on Iwo Jima during World War II. After the war Roth completed his bachelor's degree in chemistry—earned with credits from three different colleges and universities—and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Maryland. After a succession of positions, including a year or two as part owner of a small paint manufacturing company, Roth joined Monsanto in 1960. There he used platinum catalysis to solve an emerging environmental problem, the fouling of streams and lakes with detergents. Using a new platinum-based catalyst, he was able to create linear, or straight-chain, detergent molecules that microorganisms found digestible, as opposed to the earlier branched-chain molecules that were not biodegradable. Commercial detergent manufacturers quickly switched to the biodegradable type.
At Monsanto, Roth also participated in research on homogeneous catalysts instead of the usual solid ones. The research resulted in a revolutionary process for making acetic acid from methanol. Carbon monoxide is added to methanol in the presence of a catalyst, instead of oxidizing ethylene, which is derived from depletable petroleum resources. This process quickly became the standard.
When Roth became a research director at Monsanto, his group's catalytic process was chosen to produce Roundup, the herbicide that John E. Franz had discovered. In 1980, as founder and director of the Corporate Science Center at Air Products, dedicated to exploratory research, Roth entered yet another area in which catalytic processes apply—industrial gases.
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Citation
Chemical Heritage Foundation (Lead Author);Peter Saundry (Topic Editor) "Roth, James". In: Encyclopedia of Earth. Eds. Cutler J. Cleveland (Washington, D.C.: Environmental Information Coalition, National Council for Science and the Environment). [First published in the Encyclopedia of Earth February 20, 2007; Last revised Date February 20, 2007; Retrieved May 21, 2013 <http://www.eoearth.org/article/Roth,_James>
The Author
The Chemical Heritage Foundation (CHF) serves the community of the chemical and molecular sciences, and the wider public, by treasuring the past, educating the present, and inspiring the future. CHF maintains a world-class collection of materials that document the history and heritage of the chemical and molecular sciences, technologies, and industries; encourages research in CHF collections; and carries out a program of outreach and interpretation in order to advance an understanding of the ro ... (Full Bio)
James Roth. (Courtesy James Roth.)
The accomplishments of James Roth (1925– ) display how catalytic processes similar to those described in Petroleum and Petrochemicals can be used to sculpt environmentally friendly molecules.
A plant for making linear olefins for biodegradable detergents, Chocolate Bayou, Texas. (Source: Monsanto Company.)
Roth came of age during World War II. Having completed high school and attended two years of college, at the age of 18 Roth was serving as a navigator aboard a Navy vessel that landed Marines on Iwo Jima during World War II. After the war Roth completed his bachelor's degree in chemistry—earned with credits from three different colleges and universities—and a Ph.D. in physical chemistry from the University of Maryland. After a succession of positions, including a year or two as part owner of a small paint manufacturing company, Roth joined Monsanto in 1960. There he used platinum catalysis to solve an emerging environmental problem, the fouling of streams and lakes with detergents. Using a new platinum-based catalyst, he was able to create linear, or straight-chain, detergent molecules that microorganisms found digestible, as opposed to the earlier branched-chain molecules that were not biodegradable. Commercial detergent manufacturers quickly switched to the biodegradable type.
At Monsanto, Roth also participated in research on homogeneous catalysts instead of the usual solid ones. The research resulted in a revolutionary process for making acetic acid from methanol. Carbon monoxide is added to methanol in the presence of a catalyst, instead of oxidizing ethylene, which is derived from depletable petroleum resources. This process quickly became the standard.
When Roth became a research director at Monsanto, his group's catalytic process was chosen to produce Roundup, the herbicide that John E. Franz had discovered. In 1980, as founder and director of the Corporate Science Center at Air Products, dedicated to exploratory research, Roth entered yet another area in which catalytic processes apply—industrial gases.
Further Reading
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