Percy Julian's research at Glidden changed direction in 1940 when he began work on synthesizing progesterone, #estrogen, and #testosterone from the plant sterols stigmasterol and sitosterol, isolated from #soybean oil by a foam technique he invented and #patented. At that time clinicians were discovering many uses for the newly discovered hormones. However, only minute quantities could be extracted from hundreds of pounds of the spinal cords of animals.In 1940 Julian was able to produce 100 lb of mixed soy sterols daily, which had a value of $10,000 in sex #hormones. Julian was soon ozonizing 100 pounds daily of mixed sterol dibromides. The soy stigmasterol was easily converted into commercial quantities of the female hormone progesterone, and the first pound of progesterone he made, valued at $63,500, was shipped to the buyer in an armored car. Production of other sex hormones soon followed. #YESBHM #63500PerPound #Science