What is Wallace Carothers?
{{Infobox scientist |name = Wallace Hume Carothers |image = Wallace Carothers, in the lab.jpg |image_size = |caption = |birth_date = {{Birth date|1896|04|27}} |birth_place = [[Burlington, Iowa]], United States |death_date = {{Death date and age|1937|04|29|1896|04|27}} |death_place = [[Philadelphia]], [[Pennsylvania]], United States |death_cause = Suicide |residence = |citizenship = |nationality = American |ethnicity = |field = [[Organic chemistry]] |work_institutions = |alma_mater = [[University of Illinois]] |doctoral_advisor = [[Roger Adams]] |doctoral_students = |known_for = Invention of [[neoprene]] and [[nylon]] |influences = |influenced = |prizes = |religion = |footnotes = |signature = }} '''Wallace Hume Carothers''' ({{IPAc-en|k|ə|ˈ|r|ʌ|ð|ər|z}}; April 27, 1896 &ndash; April 29, 1937) was an American chemist and inventor. He was the leader of [[organic chemistry]] at [[DuPont]]. He is known for the invention of [[nylon]].<ref>Hermes, Matthew. ''Enough for One Lifetime. Wallace Carothers, Inventor of Nylon'', Chemical Heritage Foundation, 1996, {{ISBN|0-8412-3331-4}}.</ref> Carothers went to the [[University of Illinois]] to study for his Ph.D. under [[Roger Adams]]. His degree was awarded in 1924. After receiving his Ph.D., he taught at several universities before joining DuPont. He was a group leader at the [[DuPont Experimental Station]] laboratory. The [[laboratory]] was near [[Wilmington, Delaware]] and it was where most [[polymer]] research was done.<ref>Roberts, RM (1989) ''Serendipity: Accidental discoveries In Science'', John Wiley & Sons, Inc. {{ISBN|0-471-60203-5}}</ref> He married Helen Sweetman on February 21, 1936. On April 28, 1937 he committed suicide by drinking [[potassium cyanide]].<ref>Burton, Holman, Lazonby, Pilling & Waddington, ''Chemical Storylines'', Heinemann Educational Publishers, 2000. {{ISBN|0-435