Biography
Stephen Falling earned his B.S. in Chemistry from the University of California, Davis, and his Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry in 1979 from the University of California, Berkeley. He retired from Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, Tennessee, after 31 years of research, development and production of complex organic chemicals. He has numerous U.S. and foreign patents and several scientific publications. Stephen is interested in the fossil record and how it contradicts Darwinian evolution. As an organic chemist, he sees the impossibility of molecules-to-man evolution. Stephen especially loves nature photography, astrophotography and outdoor activities where he can enjoy God’s creation. He is a member of Canopy Ministries, a creation science teaching ministry in Northeast Tennessee. His ministry emphasis is on pointing out nature’s evidence of the Creator and showing the flaws of evolutionary explanations.
Professional Experience
Director of Chemistry, Renewable Algal Energy, LLC, Johnson City, TN. January 2010–July 2012. Responsible for development of chemical processes to isolate and analyze carotenoid and lipid products from pond-grown, saltwater algae.
Senior Research Associate, Eastman Chemical Company, Kingsport, TN. February 1979–January 2010. Fine and specialty chemical process research and development; beta-carotene processing; chemicals from coal research. Team leader of an R&D effort resulting in 3,4-epoxy-1-butene derivative semiworks plants at Texas Eastman and Tennessee Eastman. Process development and production responsibility for the large-scale production of complex photographic chemicals for Eastman Kodak.
Selected Publications & Patents
S. N. Falling, J. R. Monnier, G. W. Phillips, J. S. Kanel, S. A. Godleski, “Development of an Industrial Process for the Lewis Acid/Iodide Salt Rearrangement of 3,4-Epoxy-1-Butene to 2,5-Dihydrofuran,” Catalysis of Organic Reactions, Volume 115, S. R. Schmidt, Ed., CRC Press, Boca Raton, FL, (2007) chapter 37.
N. W. Boaz, S. N. Falling, M. K. Moore, “The Preparation of Enantiomerically Pure 3,4-Epoxy-1-butene and 3-Butene-1,2-diol,”, Synlett, 1615 (2005).
Marco Sangermano, Stephen N. Falling, James V. Crivello, “The Photoinitiated Cationic Polymerization of 3,4-Epoxy-1-butene,” Photoinitiated Polymerization, ACS Symposium Series 847, K. D. Belfield and J. V. Crivello, Eds. American Chemical Society, Washington, DC, 2003, chapter 23.
M. Sangermano, S. N. Falling, J. V. Crivello, “Photoinitiated Cationic Polymerization of Epoxy Monomers in the Presence of Poly(3,4-Epoxy-1-butene),” J. Macromolecular Sci., Pure Appl. Chem., A39(11), 1279 (2002).
M. Sangermano, S. N. Falling, J. V. Crivello, “Investigation of the Use of Poly(3,4-Epoxy-1-butene) in Free Radical Photopolymerizations,” J. Macromolecular Sci., Pure Appl. Chem., A39(11), 1265 (2002).
Youngtai Yoo, Larry K. Johnson, Stephen N. Falling, Jeremy R. Lizotte, Timothy E. Long, “Maleation of Poly(3,4-Epoxy-1-butene) for Accelerated Crosslinking in the Presence of a Redox Catalyst,” J. Polymer Sci., Part A: Polymer Chem., 40(16) 2789 (2002).
Marco Sangermano, Stephen N. Falling, James V. Crivello, “Study of the Photoinitiated Cationic Polymerization of 3,4-Epoxy-1-butene,” Polymer Preprints, 42(2), 787 (2001).
S. Richard Turner, Stephen N. Falling, Richard W. Blevins, “Alternating Copolymerization of 3,4-Epoxy-1butene and Derivatives with Maleic Anhydride,” J. Macromolecular Sci., Pure Appl. Chem., A34(10), 1857 (1997).
Kevin J. Edgar, Stephen N. Falling, “An Efficient and Selective Method for the Preparation of Iodophenols,” J. Org. Chem., 55, 5287 (1990).
Stephen N. Falling, Henry Rapoport, “Routes to Mitomycins. Application of Iminium Salts to the Synthesis of Naphthoquinone Mitosene Analogues,” J. Org. Chem., 45, 1260 (1980).
Selected U.S. Patents (49 total):
Process for microalgae conditioning and concentration, R. Clayton, S. N. Falling, J. S. Kanel, 9,358,553 (2016).
Hydrocarboxylation of formaldehyde in the presence of a higher order carboxylic acid and heterogeneous catalyst, S. Barnicki, R. Hembre, S. N. Falling, M. Janka, K. Moran, 8,829,234 (2014).
Process and apparatus for adsorptive bubble separation, R. Clayton, S. N. Falling, J. S. Kanel, C. C. Churn, 8,251,228 (2012).
Process for the production of 3-buten-1-ol, S. N. Falling, 6,790,999 (2004).
Photopolymerizable compositions, J. V. Crivello, M. Sangermano, S. N. Falling, 6,555,595 (2003).
Isomerization of epoxyalkenes to 2,5-dihydrofurans, S. N. Falling, 6,395,912 (2002).
Process for the preparation of 3-furoate esters and novel intermediate compounds, S. N. Falling, 6,184,394 (2001).
Aryl 1-hydroxy-2-naphthoates, S. N. Falling, A. K. Wilson, 4,454,340 (1984).
See Also – Conference and Workshop Presentations
Invited speaker at PiraTech Ionic Liquids Conference, Orlando FL, December 2006. “Development and Scale-up of an Ionic Liquid Process for 2,5-Dihydrofuran.”
Invited speaker at Thirteenth International Process Development Conference, Newport, RI, September 2006. “Development and Scale-up of a Process for 2,5-Dihydrofuran.”
Presentation, Organic Reactions Catalysis Society, Orlando, FL, April 2006. “Development and Scale-up of a Process for 2,5-Dihydrofuran.”
Plenary speaker at First International Congress on Ionic Liquids, Salzburg, Austria, June 2005. “Development of an Industrial Process for the Lewis Acid / Iodide Salt-Catalyzed Rearrangement of 3,4-Epoxy-1-Butene to 2,5-Dihydrofuran.”
Invited speaker at Queen’s University Ionic Liquid Consortium meeting, Belfast, N. Ireland, March 2005. “Development and Scale-up of an Ionic Liquid Process for 2,5-Dihydrofuran.”
Invited Division of Polymer Chemistry Symposium Presentation, American Chemical Society National Meeting, Chicago, IL, August 29, 2001. “Study of the Photoinitiated Cationic Polymerization of 3,4-Epoxy-1-butene.”
Invited speaker at the Florida Catalysis Society Conference, Palm Coast, FL, April 1997. “3,4-Epoxy-1butene: A New Industrial Intermediate for Chemical Production.”