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F. Sherwood Rowland
Delaware, United States
Archival Overview
American chemist who shared the 1995 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering that chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) destroy the Earth's protective ozone layer, leading to the Montreal Protocol.
Biographical Record
Frank Sherwood Rowland earned his doctorate in chemistry from the University of Chicago under Willard Libby and founded the chemistry department at the University of California, Irvine, in 1964.
In 1974, Rowland and his postdoctoral associate Mario Molina published a landmark paper in Nature showing that aerosol propellants and refrigerants (CFCs) rise into the stratosphere, where ultraviolet solar radiation breaks them down into chlorine atoms that catalytically destroy ozone molecules. Rowland courageously defended his findings against intense chemical industry lobbying, ultimately saving the global biosphere through the 1987 Montreal Protocol.
Key Life Milestones
Discovery of Ozone Depletion by CFCs
Published the groundbreaking Nature paper warning that CFC chemicals destroy Earth's protective stratospheric ozone shield.
Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Awarded the Nobel Prize alongside Mario Molina and Paul Crutzen for work in atmospheric chemistry.
Memorial Guestbook & Tributes
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Final Resting Place
Perpetual MemorialCorona del Mar, United States