Chardonnet, << `shar` duh NAY, >> Hilaire (1839-1924), was a French chemist and physiologist. In 1884, he patented a manufactured nitrocellulose fiber made from cotton. This fiber became known as rayon, and Chardonnet later commercially produced it (see Rayon). His studies of silkworms and of the structure of natural silk fibers helped him develop manufactured fibers. Chardonnet was born in Besancon, France. He studied under Louis Pasteur when Pasteur was researching silk and silkworms.
