Gomberg, Moses

Gomberg, Moses

(1866–1947) organic chemist; born in Elisavetgrad, Russia. He emigrated to Chicago (1884) and was associated with the chemistry department of the University of Michigan (1893–1936). He created the first stable free radical, triphenylmethyl (1900), and carried on studies of organometallic compounds. During World War I, he worked on gases for chemical warfare and on high explosives and smokeless powder.

The Cambridge Dictionary of American Biography, by John S. Bowman. Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1995. Reproduced with permission.