Heinrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Wackenroder: Pioneer of Pharmacy and Chemical Research

Heinrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Wackenroder (March 8, 1798 – September 4, 1854) was a distinguished German chemist, pharmacist, educator, and scientific author whose work helped shape modern pharmaceutical chemistry. Best known for isolating carotene from carrots and discovering the chemical mixture later called Wackenroder solution, he also played a vital role in establishing pharmacy as an independent scientific discipline. Through his research, teaching, and publications, Wackenroder left a lasting impact on chemistry and pharmaceutical education in Germany.

Born in Burgdorf, near Hannover, in the Electorate of Hanover, Wackenroder was the son of a physician and pharmacist. He received his early education from private tutors before beginning an apprenticeship as an apothecary in Celle between 1814 and 1819. After completing his training, he worked in his father's pharmacy, gaining practical experience that sparked his lifelong interest in chemistry and pharmacy.

In 1821, Wackenroder enrolled at the University of Göttingen to study under the renowned chemist Friedrich Stromeyer. During his studies, tragedy struck when a fire destroyed his father's pharmacy, creating financial hardship for the family. Forced to interrupt his education, Wackenroder supported himself by working as a tutor and laboratory assistant. Despite these challenges, he completed research on plant-based anthelmintic medicines, earned a doctorate from the University of Erlangen in 1827, and completed his habilitation the following year.

Later in 1828, Wackenroder was appointed professor of pharmacy at the University of Jena. There, he collaborated with the celebrated chemist Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner and interacted with the renowned writer and scientist Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, who supervised the university's chemistry institute. Wackenroder became director of Jena's Chemical-Pharmaceutical Institute in 1836, was named honorary full professor in 1838, and served as co-editor of the respected journal Archiv der Pharmazie until his death. He also worked as the state pharmacy inspector for Saxe-Weimar.

Wackenroder's scientific achievements were remarkable. In 1826, he isolated corydaline, an isoquinoline alkaloid from Corydalis cava. In 1831, he successfully extracted carotene, the orange pigment found in carrots, using ether. This discovery became an important milestone in carotenoid chemistry and later contributed to understanding provitamin A, an essential nutrient for vision, immunity, and healthy growth.

Another major accomplishment came in 1845 when he investigated the reaction between hydrogen sulfide and sulfur dioxide in water. The resulting mixture, containing suspended sulfur and several polythionic acids, became known worldwide as Wackenroder solution. His work on these sulfur compounds advanced inorganic chemistry and remained important for later studies of sulfur reactions.

Beyond laboratory research, Wackenroder transformed pharmaceutical education. He expanded the curriculum by introducing specialized courses in forensic chemistry, phytochemistry, zoochemistry, toxicology, pharmaceutical technology, and commercial pharmacy. He also authored influential textbooks, including Chemische Tabellen zur Analyse der unorganischen Körper (1829), which went through several editions and became a standard reference for chemical analysis. Through his dedication to teaching, research, and scientific writing, Heinrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Wackenroder helped establish pharmacy as a rigorous scientific profession, leaving a legacy that continues to influence chemistry and pharmaceutical science today.
Heinrich Wilhelm Ferdinand Wackenroder: Pioneer of Pharmacy and Chemical Research

Eugène-Melchior Péligot: Pioneer of Modern Chemistry

Eugène-Melchior Péligot (1811–1890) stands as a luminary in the annals of chemistry, celebrated for his pivotal contributions to the understanding of uranium and organic chemistry. Born on March 24, 1811, in Paris, Péligot’s career was defined by groundbreaking discoveries that not only advanced the scientific understanding of his time but also laid critical foundations for future developments in nuclear science and organic chemistry.

Péligot's most renowned achievement came in 1841 when he isolated pure uranium metal, a milestone in chemistry. Working with a black powder initially identified as pure uranium by Martin Heinrich Klaproth, Péligot demonstrated it was, in fact, uranium dioxide (UO₂). By reducing uranium tetrachloride (UCl₄) with potassium, he successfully isolated metallic uranium, a feat that propelled the study of radioactive elements. This work became foundational for the later discovery of radioactivity by Henri Becquerel and the groundbreaking research of Marie Curie.

Beyond uranium, Péligot made significant contributions to organic chemistry. Collaborating with Jean-Baptiste Dumas, he identified the methyl radical and coined the term "methyl alcohol" during their studies on methanol. His research clarified fundamental concepts in organic chemistry, influencing generations of chemists. Péligot also synthesized potassium chlorochromate, or Péligot's salt, enhancing the understanding of chromium chemistry and providing tools for analytical chemistry.

As a professor of analytical chemistry at the Institut National Agronomique, Péligot was instrumental in training future scientists and advancing agricultural chemistry. His research and teaching emphasized precision and innovation, fostering a culture of scientific inquiry.

Péligot's work bridged theoretical and applied chemistry, influencing diverse fields, from metallurgy to nuclear science. His isolation of uranium laid the groundwork for the atomic age, while his discoveries in organic chemistry continue to underpin modern chemical industries. A dedicated scientist and educator, Péligot’s legacy remains a cornerstone of chemical science, demonstrating the enduring impact of curiosity and rigor in the pursuit of knowledge.
Eugène-Melchior Péligot: Pioneer of Modern Chemistry

Arthur Charles Wahl– Henry V. Farr Professor of Radiochemistry

Arthur Charles Wahl (1917-2006) was an American chemist. Wahl was born Sept. 8, 1917 in Des Moines, Iowa. In 1939 he received his Bachelor's Degree in chemistry from Iowa State University.

He went to Berkeley for graduate work where he chose to work with Joseph W. Kennedy and Glenn T. Seaborg. In 1941, Arthur Wahl, Glenn Seaborg, Joseph Kennedy, and Emilio Segrè, building on the earlier work, isolated the daughter of neptunium-239, an element, also of mass 239, that had been predicted theoretically by Louis Turner.

Wahl received his PhD degree in 1942 for the plutonium identification. The papers, related to this work were withheld from publication until after the conclusion of the war.

After receiving his Ph.D. from the University of California, Berkeley in 1942, Wahl was recruited by J. Robert Oppenheimer and Glenn Seaborg to come to Los Alamos in 1943. He was a worker on the Manhattan Project in Los Alamos until 1946, when he joined Washington University in St. Louis.

Beginning in 1952, he was the Henry V. Farr Professor of Radiochemistry; he received the American Chemical Society Award in Nuclear Chemistry in 1966 and retired in 1983. Arthur died in Santa Fe, New Mexico on Mar 6th 2006
Arthur Charles Wahl– Henry V. Farr Professor of Radiochemistry

Russian chemist: Dmitri Mendeleev (1834-1907)

Dmitri Mendeleev was born in Siberia in 1834, the youngest of 15 children. His father was principal of the gymnasium at high school at Tobolsk but went blind when Dmitri was young, and his mother worked hard to bring up the family.

His mother did succeed in enrolling him in a teacher training college, thus giving him Mendeleev a lasting interest in science education. He showed particular talent in mathematics, physics and geography.

After completing a doctorate, Mendeleev headed to Germany for a post-doctoral fellowship.

Later became a professor at St Petersburg University; he wrote a famous textbook and was a brilliant teacher. He found there was no suitable textbook of general chemistry, so he began to write The Principles of Chemistry (1868-70).

As he attempted to explain the relationships between the properties of elements, he decided to see if he could devise a system of classifying them. He started by collecting it as much information as he could about all of them.

When he drew up his periodic table, he found that there were gaps in it. He decided that these must correspond to missing elements that had yet been discovered, He released he could use his Periodic Table to make predictions about these missing elements. Element no. 101 is named mendelevium for him.

More correctly, the periodic system was developed by Mendeleev, as well as five other scientists, over a period of about 10 years, after the Italian chemist Cannizzaro had published a consistent set of atomic weights in 1860.
Russian chemist: Dmitri Mendeleev (1834-1907)

Moses Gomberg (1866-1947): Chemistry professor and the founder of organic free radical

Moses Gomberg was born on February 8, 1866, in the small town of Elizabetgrad, Russian, the son of George and Marie Resnikoff Gomberg.

From 1878 to 1884 he was a student on the Nicolau Gymnasium of his native town. In 1884 the he and his family emigrated to Chicago.

In 1886, Moses entered the University of Michigan, where he obtained his B.Sc in 1890 and his doctorate in 1894 under the supervision of A. B. Prescott. His thesis, titled ‘Trimethylxanthin and some of its Derivatives,” dealt with the derivatization of caffeine and was an extension of Prescott’s work.

Widely regarded as a fine teacher and lecturer, he was appointed an assistant professor in 1899 and a full professor in 1904. He served as chair of the Department of Chemistry from 1927 until his retirement in 1936. He was the president of the American Chemical Society in 1931.

During his first leave of absence from Michigan, Dr. Gomberg spent two terms in Baeyer's laboratory in Munich, and one term with Victor Meyer in Heidelberg. The research which he did in Munich was concerned with the preparation of isonitramino- and nitroso-iso-butyric acid.

In 1900, Moses confirmed the existence of a stable, trivalent organic free radical: triphenylmethyl. In so doing, he challenged the then prevailing belief that carbon could have only four chemical bonds.
Moses Gomberg (1866-1947): Chemistry professor and the founder of organic free radical

Heinrich Jacob Goldschmidt: Professor of Chemistry In Oslo

Heinrich Jacob Goldschmidt was born in Prague, Austria-Hungary on 12 April 1857. He died in Oslo on 20 September 1937.

He received his PhD in chemistry from Charles University in Prague in 1881. Heinrich Goldschmidt was a distinguished expert in physical chemistry and later became professor in Amsterdam and Heidelberg.

Heinrich Goldschmidt had succeeded Professor Peter Waage in 1901 as Professor of Chemistry at the University of Oslo and worked there until his retirement in 1929 at the age of 72.

Victor Moritz Goldschmidt (born on 27 January 1888 in Oslo) was the only son Heinrich Jacob Goldschmidt, who held professorships at Amsterdam, Heidelberg, and Oslo.
Heinrich Jacob Goldschmidt: Professor of Chemistry in Oslo

Louis-Camille Maillard

The Maillard reaction is one of the most common and most complex reaction that takes place mainly in foods. The Maillard reaction is very significant for the dairy industries because it strongly affects the end quality.

In 1912, a French chemist Louis-Camille Maillard (1878-1936) observed the formation of yellow-brown pigments in the reaction among sugars and amino acids, polypeptides, or proteins; and among polysaccharides and polypeptides, or proteins, in a heated solution.

Maillard was born in eastern France in 1878, in a family that had been living for a long time in Lorraine, France and he died in Paris in 1936.

Maillard admitted at the age of 16 to the University of Nancy and obtained his Masters of Science in Nancy in 1897 and his Doctor of Medicine in 1903. He then worked in the Chemical Division of the School of Medicine at the University of Nancy.

In 1912 Maillard published a paper describing the reaction between amino acids and reducing sugars during heating that resulted in discoloration (browning) of the reaction mixture. This network of reactions between amino acids and reducing sugars came to be known as the Maillard reaction. In doing so, Maillard aet the foundations of serious food science.

For the next 60+ years, work on the Maillard reaction focused on foods and food-like model systems, and the Maillard reaction became recognized as an important member of the group of browning reactions that take place in foods and beverages.
Louis-Camille Maillard

Francois-Marie Raoult

François-Marie Raoult (10 May 1830 – 1 April 1901) was a French chemist who conducted research into the behavior of solutions, and carried a series of experiments to study the vapor pressure of a number of binary solution.  He gave an important law about vapor pressure of the solution, known as Raoult’s law.

In 1882, Raoult published his results on the effects of nondissociating organic solutes, from which he deduced a general law controlling the lowering of freezing points. Four years later he extended this work to show the effect of solutes on a vapor pressure.

Raoult was the first show the relation between the freezing and boiling points and vapor pressure of solutions and the molecular weight of the dissolved substance. This relationship is known as Raoult’s Law.

His work opened a new field for the determination of molecular weights and his discovery that acids bases and salts produced ‘abnormal’ depressions of the vapor pressure gave great support to the electrolytic theory of Arrhenius.

Raoult published the formulations of his laws in the Comptes rendus for 1882 and 1887.
Francois-Marie Raoult

Wallace Hume Carothers (1896-1937)

Born on April 27, 1896, in Burlington, Iowa, Wallace Carothers was an American chemist and the leader of organic chemistry at DuPont and is credited with the invention of nylon.

He entered Capital City Commercial College in Des Moines in 1914 and graduated a year later in accountancy and secretarial administration.

After earning a bachelor’s degree in 1921 from the University of Illinois, Carothers went to the University of South Dakota, where he began his independent research at the same time he was a chemistry instructor.

After teaching for a year, Carothers returned to the University of Illinois in 1922 to work under Roger Adams. He earned a PhD from the University of Illinois in 1924 with specialty in organic chemistry. He was acclaimed as ‘one of the most brilliant students who had ever been awarded the doctor’s degree at Illinois’.

Carothers was then recruited by Harvard but after three semesters there DuPont offered him the task of organizing the company’s research in organic chemistry and especially polymerization.

Soon he had assembled the team of talented research scientists who would play a major part in the development of nylon. His first paper on polymerization appeared in the Journal of the American Chemical Society in 1929.

In 1936 Carothers was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, the first industrial organic chemist to receive this honor.
Wallace Hume Carothers (1896-1937)

Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge (1794-1867)

He was a German pharmacist who discovered aniline, which he called ‘kvanol’, in a coal tar in 1834. 

Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge was born in Billwarder, near Hamburg, 8 February 1795. Runge studied pharmacy before leaving his hometown in 1816 for Berlin, Jena and Gottingen to study medicine.

Runge obtaining a doctorate in philosophy in 1822 for De pigmento Indico eiusque conubiis cum metallorum nonnulorum oxydis.

He began his career as a pharmacist and after a long residence in Paris, became an associate professor of technological chemistry at the University of Breslau, Germany.

Later he served in the Prussian Marine in Berlin and Oranienburg. In 1834 he discovered carbolic acid, rosolic acid and other chemicals in the same substance. This was the beginning of coal-tar chemistry.

In 1820 he isolated an alkaloid from the coffee bean, which he dubbed ‘caffeine’ indicating something found in coffee.
Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge (1794-1867)

Jacobus Henricus Van 't Hoff

Van 't Hoff was born at Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the son of a physician. From a young age he was interested in science and nature; he frequently took part in botanical excursions, and his receptiveness for philosophy and his predilection for poetry were already apparent in his early school years.

He studied at Delft Polytechnic and the University of Leiden. He finally received his doctorate at the University of Utrecht in 1874.

In 1874 van ‘t Hoff published a paper entitled A Suggestion Looking to the Extension into Space of the Structural Formulas at Present Used in Chemistry, which effectively created a new branch of science – stereochemistry.

Van ‘t Hoff helped to found the discipline of physical chemistry as many people known it today.

Van ‘t Hoff became a lecturer in chemistry and physics at the Veterinary College in Utrecht.

He then became a professor of chemistry, mineralogy and geology at the University of Amsterdam for almost 18 years before eventually becoming the chairman and the chemistry department.

In 1896 van ‘t Hoff moved to Germany where he finished his career at the University of Berlin in 1911.
In 1901 van 't Hoff was awarded the first Nobel Prize for chemistry.
Jacobus Henricus Van 't Hoff