Correct Answer:
B. Leo Baekeland
The invention of plastic marked a revolutionary advancement in materials science, leading to the development of countless modern products. The first fully synthetic plastic was a significant breakthrough.
- The correct answer is B: Leo Baekeland. In 1907, Leo Baekeland, a Belgian-American chemist, invented Bakelite. This was the world's first fully synthetic plastic, meaning it was entirely man-made and not derived from natural polymers. Bakelite was durable, heat-resistant, and electrically non-conductive, quickly finding widespread applications in electrical insulation, car parts, and various consumer goods, thus pioneering the plastics industry.
- A: Louis Pasteur was a French chemist and microbiologist famous for pasteurization and germ theory, not plastic.
- C: Robert Bunsen was a German chemist known for the Bunsen burner and his work in spectroscopy.
- D: Amedee Avogadro was an Italian scientist known for Avogadro's number and his contributions to molecular theory.