History of Organic Chemistry

For some time now, I have been delving into the history of Organic Chemistry at our university, even though I am not a historian but a chemist.

Within the scope of this overview, I will introduce some of the most important figures, namely: Emil Erlenmeyer, Wilhelm von Miller, Heinrich Kiliani, Andreas Lipp, Gustav Schultz, Hans Theoder Bucherer, Heinrich Wieland, Hans Fischer, Stefan Goldschmidt, Alfred Treibs, Friedrich Weygand, and Günter Kresze. My overview will be limited to these individuals, and I will leave the discussion of Professors Helmut Simon, Ivar Ugi, Adelbert Bacher, Horst Kessler, Johannes Buchner, and Thorsten Bach, whose terms recently ended or who are currently, some only recently, holding professorial positions, for future work. I hope other individuals, such as associate professors, adjunct professors, or research associates who have significantly contributed to these developments, will forgive me if they do not find a place in this brief compilation.

Now, I would like to take the reader on a journey back to the 19th century, a time when a series of significant scientific discoveries and technological advancements had already been made, but Organic Chemistry was still in its infancy.

These summaries can be found among former colleagues, among others

Author: PD Dr. Eric Fontain (Organic chemist and former academic advisor of the former Faculty of Chemistry) - Translated into English