The board is skeptical. The cost is enormous.
The Alchemist of Kingsport
So Henry stayed. He became a lab assistant. eastman chemical company
That night, the first test batch runs. A conveyor belt feeds shredded, multicolored carpet into a reactor. Steam hisses. Catalysts dance. Two hours later, a valve opens, and a clear, sweet-smelling liquid drips into a glass jar. The board is skeptical
“Does it work?”
The world was hungry for solvents. Cameras needed film, and film needed chemicals that didn’t exist yet. Henry spent three weeks failing. He mixed esters, boiled aldehydes, and watched his beakers turn the color of mud. a valve opens