Some of the greatest inventions in history were preceded by many years of meticulous planning, while others were inspired by something being dropped by accident. The story of Scotchgard falls into the latter category.In 1953, researchers at 3M were working on new fluorochemical compounds with synthetic latex for jet aircraft fuel lines when an experimental chemical accidentally spilled onto the canvas tennis shoe belonging to one of the lab assistants. When the chemical landed on the shoe, the material’s behavior changed dramatically.Dirt did not readily stick to the treated area, and attempts to wash the substance away proved surprisingly ineffective.From this observation emerged the line of research that eventually led to Scotchgard.According to the Lemelson-MIT Program, which documents the history of major inventions and inventors, chemists Patricia Sherman and Samuel Smith were working on fluorochemical latex when the accidental spill occurred.Due to the unique behavior of the treated canvas, they began to conduct further experiments to understand why the liquid had so little interaction with the treated area.An accident nobody ignoredExperiments conducted in laboratories often result in unexpected results; very few are turned into useful discoveries.What made this incident special was that someone noticed.The stain-resistant spill was not written off as a mistake; instead, Sherman and her colleagues were curious to know what was so special about this chemical compound. This chemical, unlike a normal substance, did not stain the treated fabric.According to The Smithsonian Institution, researchers noticed that water and oily substances tended to bead up and roll off the treated surface rather than soak into it.From aircraft research to household productsThe story of how the research came about also makes it so interesting. At that point, the scientists were not trying to create a product that could protect fabrics from spills.Sherman had joined 3M in 1952 and, with Samuel Smith, had been studying the characteristics of fluorochemicals as part of ongoing research which involved trying to develop materials that would function properly under adverse conditions and also have a use in fuel systems used by aircraft.It was as part of these research processes that the stain resistance discovery was made.What was unusual about the discovery process was that it had not been part of the original work; what had happened was completely unplanned and led to a totally different line of investigation. History is full of examples where inventions emerged from a shift in focus. Penicillin, microwave ovens, and Post-it Notes all involved moments when researchers recognised the significance of something unexpected.Scotchgard followed a similar route to many others.
Patsy O. Sherman| Image Credit: Wikimedia Commons
A discovery that people could seeIt can be difficult to illustrate many scientific discoveries without the use of scientific notation or visual diagrams. Scotchgard was different. The effect was visual. It could be seen that the chemical compound, when spilled onto fabric, caused that area of the fabric to repel liquid.Anybody looking at the shoe would immediately understand why such a chemical would be desirable. This visual understanding made commercialization easier, and after years of further research, Scotchgard was introduced commercially in the 1950s and later became available in a variety of forms, including sprays and other fabric-treatment products.The Smithsonian’s account of Sherman’s work found that the discovery was ultimately used to treat textiles and other surfaces to resist stains and spills.A chemistry degree was not necessary for individuals to recognize its usefulness and appeal; the promise of easily cleanable surfaces was a tempting prospect.Why does the story still captivate us?Many years later, the origin of Scotchgard continues to be published and celebrated as an example of how a great product could be created out of an unlikely accident. Part of its appeal comes from the image itself.A spill of chemicals, a pair of shoes, a piece of fabric that will not be stained.The image of a chemical spill on a canvas shoe made the discovery memorable. The image of a chemical spill on a canvas shoe makes the discovery unusually easy to remember.Accidents alone cannot yield breakthrough discoveries. Reports point out that many successful inventions are created through human beings being aware of unusual findings and having the right follow-up questions to investigate further.That is what happened in this case. The spill was accidental. The decision to investigate it was not.The real lesson from a dirty shoeLooking back, it is tempting to treat the Scotchgard story as a lucky break.Sherman and Smith saw that what they had been researching was useful, and so they investigated and tried to developed it into a useful product. Their new creation could be applied far beyond the lab.The reason the story became so widely known throughout the world is due to the unexpected quality it displayed; this was something the scientists had not been looking for.Most inventors’ tales are of ambitious projects undertaken or meticulously planned experiments, yet this story presents how an invention was made from humble and very ordinary beginnings: a spill of chemicals, a canvas shoe, and the observation of a unique property.
