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Noyes Laboratory:
One Hundred Years of Chemistry

A Century of Accomplishment
The Bare Facts
Nobel Prize Winners
ACS Presidents
Priestley Medal Winner

Fine Chemicals

The Illinois State Water Survey

Chemists and Chemistry at Noyes:
Roger Adams: "The Chief"
Ludwig F. Audrieth and Synthetic Sweeteners
John C. Bailar Jr. and Coordination Chemistry
St. Elmo Brady: Pioneer
George L. Clark and High-Intensity X-Ray Tubes
Willis H. Flygare and Microwave Spectrometry
Reynold C. Fuson: Teaching Chemistry
Herbert S. Gutowsky and NMR Spectroscopy
B. Smith Hopkins and the Chemistry of Rare Earths
Henry Fraser Johnstone and the Study of Air Pollution
Herbert A. Laitinen and Analytical Chemistry
Carl "Speed" Marvel: Advances in Polymer Chemistry
William A. Noyes: The Department Comes of Age
Arthur W. Palmer: The Early Years
Samuel W. Parr and Applied Chemistry
Charles C. Price III and Antimalarials
Worth H. Rodebush and Physical Chemistry
William C. Rose and Amino Acids
George F. Smith and the Aerosol Can
Harold R. Snyder and Antimalarials
Marion Sparks and Chemical Information

Landmark Designation

Marion Sparks, who became a bibliographer at the University of Illinois in 1904, created the first library catalog of the chemistry department. After her bibliographic work, Sparks became the Chemistry Librarian in 1913, serving until her death in 1929. 1913 was also the year she began teaching "Chemistry 19," a course in chemical literature. Chemistry 19 first appeared in the university catalog in 1893.

In 1919 Sparks self-published a textbook for the course in 1919, based on her class notes. "Chemical Literature and its Use" was revised, and a second edition almost twice as long was published in 1921.

Sparks had a strong background in languages (she studied Latin, French, German, Italian, and Spanish) and a broad interest in the sciences. Her service to the Chemistry Department included translating articles and teaching chemical literature. She conveyed to her students that library work was critical: locating previous research, she stressed, was as important as laboratory work.

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