"Scaling up: Science, Engineering, and the American Chemical Industry"-Center for History of Chemistry

Abstract

When the American Institute of Chemical Engineers became a cosponsor with the American Chemical Society of the Center for History of Chemistry (CHOC) in 1984, and when it became apparent that both associations would be meeting in Philadelphia, CHOC decided to prepare an exhibit for its gallery space that would appeal to both groups. This was not an easy task, considering the long-standing sibling rivalry between the two related disciplines. Because and usually are symbolized by test tubes and large plants, respectively, the process of going from one to the other, scaling up, represents an interface between the two. The CHOC succeeded in pleasing both groups with the resulting exhibit, Scaling Up, although one engineer complained that all the labels read chemists and engineers, instead of engineers and chemists. The CHOC has tackled an important subject in the history of the chemical industry, one that has not received much attention from historians. This is unfortunate because the problem of scaling up is what distinguishes chemical technology from other types and is perhaps the key concept necessary for understanding the development of the industry. This traveling exhibit and its accompanying catalog,' both prepared by John A. Heitmann and David J. Rhees, should initiate more comprehensive studies of this phenomenon. The exhibit consists of panels that tell the story of four cases of