Introduction (5)

SOLVAY Ernest (1838-1922) was a Belgian industrial chemist who began working in the chemical industry at the age of 21. He devised several methods for purifying gases, but he is best known for the development of a commercially valuable ammonia-soda process for producing sodium carbonate and his invention of the Solvay carbonating tower (in which an ammonia-salt solution could be mixed with carbon dioxide). In 1861, he took out his first patent for soda production, in 1863 he set up his first factory, and by 1890 Solvay had established companies in several foreign countries. By 1900, 95% of a greatly increased world production of soda came from the Solvay process.
This success brought Solvay considerable wealth, which he used for various philanthropic purposes, including the foundation of various international institutes of scientific research in physiology (1893), sociology (1902), physics (1912), and chemistry (1913). The "Solvay Conferences" were particularly noted for their role in the development of new theories on physics.