Adolf von Baeyer

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Baeyer, 1905 (credit: Historia-Photo)

(born Oct. 31, 1835, Berlin, Prussia — died Aug. 20, 1917, Starnberg, near Munich, Ger.) German research chemist. He synthesized indigo and formulated its structure, discovered the phthalein dyes, and investigated such chemical families as the polyacetylenes, oxonium salts, and uric-acid derivatives (discovering barbituric acid, parent compound of the barbiturates). He also made contributions to theoretical chemistry. He received the Nobel Prize in 1905.

For more information on Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer, visit Britannica.com.

[b. Berlin, October 31, 1835, d. Starnberg, Germany, August 20, 1917]

Baeyer synthesized his first chemical at age 12 and then for his 13th birthday bought himself a lump of indigo dye to study; but he was nearly 30 before becoming the first to analyze the dye and synthesize it. Baeyer's other famous achievement was the creation of the first barbiturate (named for his then-girlfriend Barbara). Baeyer was the preeminent organic chemist of his day, working with many compounds and developing a still effective theory of chemical stability.

The German chemist Johann Friedrich Adolf von Baeyer (1835-1917) experimented in the organic field, notably achieving the synthesis of indigo. He received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1905.

Adolf von Baeyer was born in Berlin on Oct. 31, 1835. From an early age Adolf was devoted to the study of nature; for example, he planted date seeds in a series of pots which were nourished successively by milk, wine, and ink. The 8-year-old who conducted such endeavors was destined to become a superb experimentalist during 60 years of leadership and to garner many scientific honors.

Analysis of Organic Molecules

After comprehensive studies in physics and mathematics at the Friedrich Wilhelm Gymnasium in Berlin, Baeyer went to the University of Berlin, where he pursued the same course. One year later, convinced that chemistry was to be his life, Baeyer moved to Heidelberg to study. His doctoral research on arsenical organic compounds was completed in 1858 and indicated his future scientific focus - the analysis and synthesis of organic molecules.

At the new laboratories established in the Gewerbe institute in Berlin, Baeyer assembled a brilliant circle of chemists that rivaled the group gathered by A. W. von Hofmann at the University of Berlin. To this period belong Baeyer's studies of uric acid, which contributed to the clarification of the biochemical differences in the metabolic processes of mammals and reptiles.

The years from 1865 to 1885 were devoted to the painstaking investigation of the organic dyes, particularly indigo, alizarin, and isatin. This work contributed immensely to the German dye industry's phenomenal growth but brought no material rewards to Baeyer, who generously shared his insights and techniques with his students.

Other Investigations

Baeyer and his pupils also pioneered in the study of polyacetylenes, oxonium salts, and the internal architecture of aromatic compounds and other ring structures. Generally an experimentalist, he used the structure theory of his friend August Kekulé as the theoretical base on which to build his life's work. Baeyer proposed a "centric" formula for benzene, and a "strain" theory, correlating the stability of cyclic compounds with the ring angles, to account for the submolecular properties of complex compounds. His studies in the condensation reactions of ketones and aldehydes, plus his abiding interest in plant physiology, led him to propose a photosynthetic theory which stimulated much research on this important topic.

Baeyer was married and the father of four children. He was active in the German Chemical Society and occupied some of the most prestigious chairs in the German academic world. He lived for his science, his students, and his collaborators. These included Emil and Otto Fischer, Edward Hepp, and Richard Willstäter, all of whom achieved the highest ranking in the international chemical world. Baeyer's 300 important papers are one of the great monuments of German intellectual life.

Further Reading

Baeyer's autobiography, which covers only the first half of his life, is not available in English. The best short account of Baeyer is the essay by Richard Willstäter in Eduard Farber, ed., Great Chemists (1961). His technical achievements are treated in Eduard Farber, The Evolution of Chemistry: A History of Its Ideas, Methods, and Materials (1952; 2d ed. 1969), and in J. R. Partington, A History of Chemistry, vol. 4 (1964).

For the founder of the pharmaceutical company Bayer, see Friedrich Bayer.

Adolf von Baeyer
Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer in 1905
Born	October 31, 1835(1835-10-31) Berlin, Germany
Died	August 20, 1917 (aged 81) Starnberg, Germany
Nationality	Germany
Fields	Organic chemistry
Institutions	University of Berlin Gewerbe-Akademie, Berlin University of Strasbourg University of Munich
Alma mater	University of Berlin
Doctoral advisor	Robert Wilhelm Bunsen Friedrich August Kekulé
Doctoral students	Emil Fischer John Ulric Nef Victor Villiger Carl Theodore Liebermann Carl Gräbe
Known for	Synthesis of indigo
Notable awards	Nobel Prize for Chemistry (1905)

Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer (German pronunciation: [ˈbaɪɐ]; October 31, 1835 - August 20, 1917) was a German chemist who synthesized indigo,^[1] and was the 1905 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.^[2] Born in Berlin, he initially studied mathematics and physics at Berlin University before moving to Heidelberg to study chemistry with Robert Bunsen. There he worked primarily in August Kekulé's laboratory, earning his doctorate (from Berlin) in 1858. He followed Kekulé to the University of Ghent, when Kekulé became professor there. He became a lecturer at the Berlin Trade Academy in 1860, and a Professor at the University of Strasbourg in 1871. In 1875 he succeeded Justus von Liebig as Chemistry Professor at the University of Munich.

Baeyer's chief achievements include the synthesis and description of the plant dye indigo, the discovery of the phthalein dyes, and the investigation of polyacetylenes, oxonium salts, nitroso compounds (1869) and uric acid derivatives (1860 and onwards) (including the discovery of barbituric acid (1864), the parent compound of the barbiturates). He was the first to propose the correct formula for indole in 1869, after publishing the first synthesis three years earlier. His contributions to theoretical chemistry include the 'strain' (Spannung) theory of triple bonds and strain theory in small carbon rings.^[3]

In 1871 he discovered the synthesis of phenolphthalein by condensation of phthalic anhydride with two equivalents of phenol under acidic conditions (hence the name). That same year he was the first to obtain synthetic fluorescein, a fluorophore pigment which is frequently referred to as pyoverdin when naturally synthesized by microorganisms (e.g., by some fluorescent strains of Pseudomonas). Von Baeyer named his finding resorcinphthalein as he had synthesized it from phthalic anhydride and resorcinol. The term fluorescein would not start to be used until 1878.

In 1872 he experimented with phenol and formaldehyde, almost preempting Leo Baekeland's later discovery of Bakelite.

In 1881 the Royal Society of London awarded Baeyer the Davy Medal for his work with indigo. In 1905 he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "in recognition of his services in the advancement of organic chemistry and the chemical industry, through his work on organic dyes and hydroaromatic compounds".

Baeyer's name is pronounced like the English word "buyer." His birth name was Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf Baeyer, but throughout most of his life he was known simply as "Adolf Baeyer." On his fiftieth birthday he was raised to the hereditary nobility, changing his name to "Adolf von Baeyer."

References

1. ^ Adolf Baeyer, Viggo Drewsen (1882). "Darstellung von Indigblau aus Orthonitrobenzaldehyd (p )". Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft 15 (2): 2856–2864. doi:10.1002/cber.188201502274. 
2. ^ Adolf von Baeyer: Winner of the Nobel Prize for Chemistry 1905 Armin de Meijere Angewandte Chemie International Edition Volume 44, Issue 48 , Pages 7836 - 7840 2005 Abstract
3. ^ Adolf Baeyer (1885). "Ueber Polyacetylenverbindungen". Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft 18 (2): 294–295. doi:10.1002/cber.18850180296. 

External links

• Biography Biography from Nobelprize.org website
• Speech given by Professor A. Lindstedt, President of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, on December 10, 1905, upon Baeyer's receiving the Nobel Prize
• von Baeyer biography
•  "Baeyer, Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von". Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). 1911. 

v • d • e Nobel Laureates in Chemistry Jacobus van 't Hoff (1901) · Emil Fischer (1902) · Svante Arrhenius (1903) · William Ramsay (1904) · Adolf von Baeyer (1905) · Henri Moissan (1906) · Eduard Buchner (1907) · Ernest Rutherford (1908) · Wilhelm Ostwald (1909) · Otto Wallach (1910) · Marie Curie (1911) · Victor Grignard / Paul Sabatier (1912) · Alfred Werner (1913) · Theodore Richards (1914) · Richard Willstätter (1915) · Fritz Haber (1918) · Walther Nernst (1920) · Frederick Soddy (1921) · Francis Aston (1922) · Fritz Pregl (1923) · Richard Zsigmondy (1925) Complete roster · 1901–1925 · 1926–1950 · 1951–1975 · 1976–2000 · 2001–present

Persondata
NAME	Baeyer, Adolf von
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Bayer, Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf Ritter von; Bayer, Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von
SHORT DESCRIPTION	German Chemist
DATE OF BIRTH	October 31, 1835
PLACE OF BIRTH	Berlin, Germany
DATE OF DEATH	August 20, 1917
PLACE OF DEATH	Starnberg, Germany

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