Ira Remsen

About

Chemist who became an accidental co-inventor of the artificial sweetener saccharin.

Before Fame

He earned a medical degree to satisfy his family, but then moved to Germany to pursue his true passion in chemistry.

Trivia

He discovered what would become saccharin after residue on his hands from coal and tar derivatives he was working with ended up on his dinner rolls.

Family Life

His wife became a crucial aide in his discovery of saccharin, having made those dinner rolls.

Associated With

He was the first recipient of the American Chemical Society's Priestley Medal, which was also later given to Linus Pauling.