Charles Friedel

Charles Friedel was a 19th-century French chemist best known for his contributions to organic chemistry. He, along with his colleague James Mason Crafts, developed the Friedel-Crafts reaction, a method for attaching carbon-containing groups to aromatic rings, which are common in many natural and synthetic compounds like dyes and plastics. This discovery greatly advanced the ability to create and modify complex molecules efficiently. Friedel's work has had lasting impact in chemistry, enabling chemists to design new materials and improve manufacturing processes in pharmaceuticals, agriculture, and industry.