This of course depends on where you live, but the following chemists are foreign if you are based in America:
- Nicolas Flamel, born in the 1330s in France, is thought to be one of the first chemists on record. He was known as an 'alchemist' which is an early form of chemistry and Flamel is famous for the belief that he was developing a philosopher's stone. He is thought to be the most accomplished European alchemist of his time and the philosopher's stone is a legend about a stone that can turn every day objects to gold and give eternal life.
- Friedrich Karl Rudolf Bergius, born in 1884, was a German chemist with a Nobel prize in Chemistry. He is best known for developing the Berguis process; which is the process of using coal to produce synthetic fuel. He worked with Carl Bosch, another famous chemist, and they were recognized together for their fantastic invention.
- Michel Eugène Chevreul, born in 1786, was a French chemist who is thought to be the first inventor of soap. He worked with fatty acids and used animal fats and salt to develop his soap. He is also the inventor of margaric acid and lived to be a very impressive 102 years old.
- Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins was a British chemist born in 1861 and is known for his discovery of vitamins and an amino acid.
- Coenraad Johannes van Houten was a Dutch chemist born in 1801 and will be very popular with most people as he invented coco powder. He treated coco with alkaline salts which enabled him to remove the bitter taste and he was also able to make coco solids water soluble. His father also invented the process of creating coco butter which is something that the son is often credited for, whether through his own choice or not, we do not know.
