CHAPTER 6: Bad Reputations

Synthetic chemistry began with the discovery that coal tar, produced by the distillation of coal, was an effective deck sealant on merchant and Navy ships in the late 18th century. More uses for coal tar and related products were discovered throughout the 19th century including coal gas for street lighting, which improved literacy rates, living standards and quality of life for millions of workers; waterproof Mackintosh coats; and a range of colourful fabric dyes, the first of which were pink and purple. The fact that synthetic chemistry is rooted in the discovery of coal tar, a thick, black, sticky, toxic substance, has given the field an image that lingers to this day. This origin story contributes to the myth that not just coal tar itself but all synthetic chemicals are thick, black, sticky, toxic substances with no real benefit to humanity. Furthermore, the recklessness and serendipity of the chemists who discovered them contributes to the negative stereotypes of chemicals and chemists today. Synthetic chemistry will depend on fossil materials such as coal and oil for a long time to come—long after fossil materials have been largely abandoned as energy sources.