Papers of Norbert M. Bikales

Norbert M. Bikales (1929-) was a German-American polymer chemist. A German Jew, Bikales was born in Berlin, Germany on January 7, 1929. He was sent to France by his family in 1939 on a Kindertransport to escape persecution by the Nazis. During World War II, under the protection of the Oeuvre des Secours aux Enfants (OSE), Bikales was hidden in Nazi occupied France for a time, then escaped to Switzerland in 1943. After the war, he emigrated to the United States in 1946.

In the United States, Bikales went on to enjoy a distinguished career as a polymer chemist. He earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the City College of New York (1951), then went to work as a Research Chemist at American Cyanamid Company (1951-1962). At American Cyanamid, he invented or developed a number of polymer materials and chemical processes, which led to his being awarded twenty-six United States patents. While working at American Cyanamid, Bikales continued his education at Polytechnic University in Brooklyn, New York, earning his M.S. in Chemistry (1956) and Ph.D. in Chemistry (1961).

After earning his Ph.D., Bikales worked as Director of Technical Services at Gaylord Associates (1962-1965), then served as Consulting Chemist and President of N.M. Bikales & Company (1965-1976). In 1973, he joined the faculty of Rutgers University, where he served as Professor of Chemistry (1973-1979) and Director of Continuing Education in the Sciences (1973-1976). From 1976 to 1998, Bikales worked for the National Science Foundation, serving as this federal agency’s Director of Polymers Program (1976-1995), Head of European Office in Paris, France (1995-1998), and Director of Instrumentation for Materials Research and National Facilities Programs (1998). After leaving federal government service, he worked as a scientific consultant.

Bikales was notably active in the affairs of several professional organizations, including the American Chemical Society (ACS) and the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC). With the ACS, he was particularly active with the society’s Division of Polymer Chemistry (ACS POL), serving as Chairman of the Nomenclature Committee (1970-1972) and a single term as Division Chairman (1983). With IUPAC, Bikales served as Secretary of the Commission on Macromolecular Nomenclature (also called Commission IV.I) (1977-1987) and as Chairman of the Working Party on Recycling of Plastics (1993-1997).

Norbert M. Bikales was the recipient of several awards, including the Great Medal of the City of Paris (1985) and the National Science Foundation’s Distinguished Service Award (1999). He was also an elected fellow of several professional organizations, including the American Physical Society (1991) and IUPAC (1998). Bikales was also the author of fifteen books and numerous scientific journal articles.

Sources

Norbert Bikales Photographs, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, Washington, D.C.

Papers of Nobert M. Bikales, Science History Institute Archives, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.