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Friedrich August KekuleGerman Chemist
Date of Birth: 07.09.1829
Country:  Germany |
Content:
- Biography of August Kekulé
- Academic Career
- Scientific Contributions
- Discoveries and Achievements
- Professional Contributions
Biography of August Kekulé
Early Life and EducationAugust Kekulé was a German organic chemist born in Darmstadt. He attended the University of Giessen, where he completed his studies in 1852. During his time at university, he had the opportunity to listen to lectures by renowned chemists such as J. Dumas, C. Wurtz, and C. Gerhardt.
Academic Career
From 1856 to 1858, Kekulé taught at the University of Heidelberg. He then became a professor at the University of Ghent in Belgium from 1858 to 1865. In 1865, he joined the University of Bonn, where he served as a professor and later became the rector from 1877 to 1878. Throughout his career, Kekulé focused on theoretical organic chemistry and organic synthesis.
Scientific Contributions
Kekulé made several significant contributions to the field of chemistry. In 1854, he synthesized thioacetic acid and other sulfur compounds. He also discovered glycolic acid in 1856. He introduced the concept of valency in 1857, defining it as the number of bonding units an atom possesses. Kekulé proposed the idea of carbon being tetravalent and demonstrated in 1858 that carbon atoms can form chains. He also formulated the initial principles of the theory of valency. Kekulé's experiments were closely tied to his theoretical research.
Discoveries and Achievements
To test his hypothesis about the equivalence of all six hydrogen atoms in benzene, Kekulé obtained its halogen, nitro, amino, and carboxy derivatives. He carried out a series of acid transformations, including the conversion of natural apple acid to bromotartaric acid, and then to optically inactive apple acid in 1864. In 1866, he discovered the rearrangement of diazoaminobenzene into aminoazobenzene. Kekulé also synthesized triphenylmethane in 1872 and anthraquinone in 1878. He conducted experiments to determine the structure of camphor, transforming it into oxyimol and then into thioimol. He also studied the crotonic condensation of acetaldehyde and the reaction for obtaining carboxytartaric acid. Additionally, he proposed methods for synthesizing thiophene using diethyl sulfide and succinic anhydride.
Professional Contributions
Kekulé served as the president of the German Chemical Society in 1878, 1886, and 1891. He was one of the organizers of the First International Congress of Chemists in Karlsruhe in 1860. In 1887, he became a foreign corresponding member of the St. Petersburg Academy of Sciences.
This biography is based on the information from the biographical reference book "Great Chemists of the World" by V.A. Volkov et al., Moscow, "Higher School," 1991.
