William Charles Drinkard, Jr. (May 11, 1929 – January 9, 2008) was an American industrial chemist and the inventor of the catalytic hydrocyanation process for making adiponitrile, a key intermediate in nylon production.
[1] Drinkard received a Bachelor of Arts degree at Huntingdon College in 1950, followed by a Master of Science at Alabama Polytechnic Institute in 1952.
[2] With impetus from research director Frank McGrew, Drinkard invented a robust nickel-based catalyst system with a co-catalyst that formed the basis of an industrial preparation of adiponitrile based on addition of hydrogen cyanide to butadiene.
[3] Further refinements of Drinkard's initial discovery by other members of DuPont's research staff led to a commercially viable catalyst composition, one that afforded significant cost advantage over the next best alternative.
[1] Additionally, he received the American Chemical Society's Award for Industrial Chemistry in 1998.