List of important chemists (alphabetical)
This list of eminent chemists represents a selection of people who have made significant discoveries or developments in the field of chemistry . Many discoverers (for example in the field of dyeing or metallurgy ) remained unknown. For a list of alchemists and early chemists, see the article Alchemy .
This list is in alphabetical order, with the year of birth and death and selected key words on chemical activity (NP = Nobel Prize ). For example, discoverers of chemical elements are listed, who are also listed in the articles on the individual elements, and Nobel Prize winners (see also list of Nobel Prize winners for chemistry ).
A.
- Georgius Agricola , 1490–1555, writings on mineralogy , mining and smelting
- Kurt Alder , 1902–1958, Diene Synthesis, NP 1950
- Richard Anschütz , 1852–1937, Anthracene Synthesis
- Johan August Arfwedson , 1792–1841, discovery of lithium
- Svante Arrhenius , 1859–1927, electrolytic dissociation, concept of acid
- Francis William Aston , 1877–1945, mass spectrometry, NP 1922
- Carl Auer von Welsbach , 1858–1929, discovered neodymium , praseodymium , ytterbium and lutetium , industrial use of rare earths (mantle, "flint")
- Amedeo Avogadro , 1776–1856, Avogadro's gas law, mole concept
B.
- Leo Hendrik Baekeland , 1863–1944, inventor of Bakelite
- Adolf von Baeyer , 1835–1917, chemical bond, synthesis of dyes
- Carl Josef Bayer , 1847–1904, Bayer process for aluminum production
- Ernst Otto Beckmann , 1853–1923, rearrangements, Beckmann thermometer
- Friedrich Konrad Beilstein , 1838–1906, published the Handbook of Organic Chemistry in 1883
- Claude-Louis Berthollet , 1748–1822, the bleaching effect of chlorine
- Jöns Jacob Berzelius , 1779–1848, discovery of zirconium , titanium , silicon , selenium , thorium , cerium ; Formula notation
- Heinrich Biltz , 1865–1943, Evidence of the oxidative degradation of uric acid with different oxidizing agents
- Wilhelm Biltz , 1877–1943, Colloid Chemistry; thermal, caloric and radiographic analysis methods
- Joseph Black , 1728–1799, discoverer of carbon dioxide and the element magnesium
- Max Bodenstein , 1871–1942, founder of kinetics
- Johann Friedrich Böttger , 1682–1719, alchemist, porcelain manufacture
- Carl Bosch , 1874–1940, technical ammonia synthesis, high pressure process, NP 1931
- Niels Bohr , 1885–1962, atomic model
- Ludwig Boltzmann , 1844–1906, frequency distribution of kinetic energy
- Robert Boyle , 1627–1692, co-founder of the modern concept of element
- Hennig Brand , around 1630–1692, discovery of phosphorus
- Georg Brandt , 1694–1768, isolation of cobalt
- Georg Bredig , 1868–1944, catalysis
- Johannes Nicolaus Brønsted , Proton Theory ( Brønsted-Lowry concept about acids and bases)
- Herbert Charles Brown , 1912-2004, Hydroboration , Organoborane, NP 1979
- Robert Wilhelm Bunsen , 1811–1899, Bunsen burner , spectral analysis
- Adolf Butenandt , 1903–1995, isolation and structure determination of sex hormones
- Aleksandr Michajlowitsch Butlerow , 1828–1886, structural chemistry, sugar synthesis
C.
- Henry Cavendish , 1731–1810, Discovery of Hydrogen , Composition of Air
- Henry Le Chatelier , 1850–1936, discovery of the principle of least constraint ( principle of Le Chatelier )
- James Mason Crafts , 1839-1917, Friedel-Crafts reaction
- Erika Cremer , 1900–1996, development of gas chromatography
- Francis Crick , 1916–2004, discoverer of the double helix
- Rudolf Criegee , 1902–1975, elucidation of the mechanism of ozonolysis
- Marie Curie , 1867–1934, discovery of radium and polonium , NP 1903 , NP 1911
- Pierre Curie , 1859–1906, discovery of radium and polonium, NP 1903
D.
- John Dalton , 1766–1844, modern atomic theory, first table with relative atomic masses
- Sir Humphry Davy , 1778–1829, discovery of sodium , potassium , calcium , strontium , barium , magnesium
- Peter Josephus Wilhelmus Debye , 1884–1966, molecular dipole moments
- Democritus , 460–371 BC BC, idea of the atomistic structure of matter
- Sir James Dewar , 1842-1923, Low Temperature Experiments, Dewar Vacuum Flask
- Otto Diels , 1876–1954, Diene Synthesis, NP 1950
- Carl Djerassi , 1923–2015, development of the first birth control pill
- Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner , 1780–1849, catalysis by platinum , triad rule
E.
- Manfred Eigen , 1927–2019, Investigation of Extremely Rapid Reactions, NP 1967
- Bernd Eistert , 1902–1978, chain extension reaction of carboxylic acids
- Carl Engler , 1842–1925, indigo research, founder of petroleum chemistry, Engler viscometer
- Emil Erlenmeyer , 1825–1909, structural theory, structural formulas , Erlenmeyer flasks
- Gerhard Ertl , * 1936, father of modern surface chemistry , NP 2007
F.
- Michael Faraday , 1791–1867, discovery of benzene and butylene, Faraday's law ( electrolysis )
- Emil Fischer , 1852–1919, chemistry and constitution of carbohydrates , Fischer projection , sugar and purine synthesis , NP 1902
- Ernst Otto Fischer , 1918–2007, organometallic compounds, sandwich compounds , NP 1973
- Hans Fischer , 1881–1945, hemin and chlorophyll
- Rudolph Fittig , 1835–1910, Presentation of alkylbenzenes
- Edward Frankland , 1825–1899, Diethylzinc , Saturation Capacity of the Elements
- Hermann Frasch , 1851–1914, Frasch process for sulfur production
- Joseph von Fraunhofer , 1787–1826, investigation of the solar spectrum
- Carl Remigius Fresenius , 1818–1897, Journal for Analytical Chemistry
- Wilhelm Nils Fresenius , 1913–2004, father of German analytical chemistry
- Charles Friedel , 1832-1899, Friedel-Crafts reaction
G
- Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac , 1778–1850, pipette , burette , titration ; Gas law, litmus paper , isolation of boron
- Johan Gadolin , 1760–1852, rare earths, gadolinium
- Geber (around 721 to around 815), father of chemistry
- Johann Rudolph Glauber , around 1604–1670, medicinal properties / technical production of Glauber's salt
- Charles Goodyear , 1800–1869, Vulcanization
- Thomas Graham , 1805-1869, Colloid Chemistry
- Francois Auguste Victor Grignard , 1871–1935, Magnesiumorganyle, NP 1912
H
- Fritz Haber , 1868–1934, Ammoniaksynthese , NP 1919 , husband of Clara Immerwahr
- Otto Hahn , 1879–1968, pioneer of radiochemistry, founder of nuclear chemistry , discoverer of protactinium , nuclear isomerism and nuclear fission of the uranium atom, NP 1944
- Johan Baptista van Helmont , 1580–1644, doctor and chemist
- Walther Hempel , 1851–1916, technical gas analysis
- Jaroslav Heyrovský , 1890–1967, polarography , NP 1959
- Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin , 1910-1994, X-ray structure analysis , NP 1964
- Albert Hofmann , 1906–2008, discoverer of LSD
- August W. von Hofmann , 1818–1892, Hofmann's rule for elimination
- Erich Hückel , 1896–1980, Hückel rule
I.
- Sir Christopher Kelk Ingold , 1893–1970, nomenclature: R / S naming of enantiomers
J
- Barend Coenraad Petrus Jansen , 1884–1962, first isolation of vitamin B 1
- Irène Joliot-Curie , 1897–1956, Discovery of artificial radioactivity, NP 1935
K
- Paul Karrer , 1889–1971, Carotenoids , Flavins, and Vitamins A and B2; NP 1937
- August Friedrich Kekulé von Stradonitz , 1829–1896, benzene structure , representation of bonds as lines
- Gustav Robert Kirchhoff , 1824–1887, spectral analysis , discovery of cesium and rubidium
- Johan Kjeldahl , 1849–1900, development of a method for the determination of proteins
- Martin Heinrich Klaproth , 1743–1817, discovery of cerium , uranium and zirconium as zirconium dioxide
- Wolfgang Kläui , April 28, 1945 in Zurich, research and explanation of the Kläui tripod ligands named after him
- Hermann Kolbe , 1818–1884, synthesis of acetic acid from inorganic substances
- Joseph König , 1843–1930, founder of German food chemistry
- Emil Knoevenagel , 1865–1921, Syntheses of cyclohexane, benzene and pyridine derivatives from diketones
- Walter Kossel , 1888–1956, Ionic bond theory ( octet rule )
- Wilhelm Justin Kroll , 1889–1973, technical titanium production
L.
- Leukippus , in the 5th century BC BC, idea of the atomistic structure of matter
- Hans Heinrich Landolt , 1831–1910, luminescence of gases, physical chemistry , atomic weight
- Irving Langmuir , 1881–1957, Langmuir torch, tungsten incandescent lamp , NP 1932
- Auguste Laurent , 1807–1853, synthesis of organic chemicals , anthracene , core theory
- Antoine Laurent de Lavoisier , 1743–1794, interpretation of combustion as oxygen uptake
- Nicolas Leblanc , 1742–1806, soda production
- Georges Leclanché , 1839–1882, zinc - brownstone - cell = Leclanché element ( battery )
- Paul Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran , 1838–1912, discovery of gallium , samarium , dysprosium
- Rudolf Leuckart , 1854–1889, Leuckart-Wallach reaction
- Gilbert Newton Lewis , 1875–1946, Theory of Covalent Bonding (Octet Rule)
- Willard Frank Libby , 1906-1980, radiocarbon dating , NP 1960
- Andreas Libavius , 1555–1616, co-founder of modern chemistry, cation separation
- Justus Liebig , 1803–1873, elemental analysis , mineral fertilizers, chloroform , baking powder , meat extract , silver mirror reaction
- Johann Josef Loschmidt , 1821–1895, Loschmidt constant , benzene structure, composition of ozone
- Georg Lunge , 1839–1923, Lunge's reagent , technical chemistry , analytical chemistry
M.
- Maria the Jewess , between the 1st and 3rd centuries, founder of alchemy , inventor of the ash bath , the bain-marie , the pressure cooker and the first distillation apparatus
- Albertus Magnus , around 1200–1280, 'De Rebus Metallicis et de Mineralibus'
- Carl Mannich , 1877–1947, inventor of the Mannich reaction
- Wladimir Wassiljewitsch Markownikow , 1838–1904, Regioselectivity in addition
- Lise Meitner , 1878–1968, Protactinium , first physical interpretation of nuclear fission together with Otto Robert Frisch
- Dmitri Iwanowitsch Mendelejew , 1834–1907, first periodic table
- John Mercer , 1791–1866, discoverer of mercerization
- Robert Bruce Merrifield , 1921-2006, Solid Phase Synthesis
- Lothar Meyer , 1830–1895, Periodic Table of the Elements
- Victor Meyer , 1848–1897, determination of molar mass
- Eilhard Mitscherlich , 1794–1863, empirical formula of benzene
- Ferdinand Frédéric Henri Moissan , 1852–1907, element fluorine , Moissan furnace, NP 1906
- Carl Gustav Mosander , 1797–1858, rare earths, erbium , lanthanum , terbium
- Henry Moseley , 1887–1915, method for the unambiguous determination of the atomic number of an element
- Richard Müller , 1903-1999, Müller-Rochow synthesis of silanes
N
- Giulio Natta , 1903–1979, catalytic polymerisation , NP 1963
- Walther Nernst , 1864–1941, Electrochemistry and Thermodynamics , NP 1920
- Alfred Nobel , 1833–1896, Dynamit , Nobel Prize Foundation
O
- George A. Olah , * 1927, Carbocations, NP 1994
- Wilhelm Ostwald , 1853–1932, Production of nitric acid , equilibria, reaction rates, NP 1909
P
- Paracelsus , 1493–1541, Chemicals as Medicine ( Iatrochemistry )
- Robert Ghormley Parr , 1921-2017, molecular orbital calculations
- James Riddik Partington , 1886–1965, chemical historian
- Louis Pasteur , 1822–1895, first resolution
- Linus Carl Pauling , 1901-1994, chemical bond, hybrid orbitals
- William Henry Perkin , 1838–1907, first dye synthesis, first dye factory
- Amé Pictet , 1857–1937, synthesis of phenanthridine (1889), nicotine (1895), laudanosine and papaverine (1909), sucrose (1928 together with H. Vogel)
- John Anthony Pople , 1925–2004, molecular orbital calculations, ab-inition calculation methods, Gaussian program
- Fritz Pregl , 1869–1930, Microanalysis of Organic Substances, NP 1923
- Vladimir Prelog , 1906–1998, Stereochemistry of Organic Molecules
- Joseph Priestley , 1733-1804, Oxygen Discovery
R.
- Sir William Ramsay , 1852–1916, discovery of helium , neon , krypton , xenon , argon
- Sir Henry Enfield Roscoe , 1833–1915, Discovery of Vanadium
- Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge , 1795–1867, paper chromatography; Aniline , caffeine
- Leopold Ružička , 1887–1976, Synthesis of Flavorings, NP 1939
- Daniel Rutherford , 1749–1819, discoverer of nitrogen
- Sir Ernest Rutherford , 1871–1937, atomic model , NP 1908
S.
- Carl Wilhelm Scheele , 1742–1786, investigation of combustion , discovery of oxygen , chlorine , molybdenum , tungsten
- Helmuth Scheibler (1882–1966), pioneer in the field of carbenes
- Hugo Schiff , 1834–1915, Schiff sample , biuret reaction
- Ernst Schmidt , 1845–1921, 1888 discovery of scopolamine , 1917 synthesis of ephedrine
- Christian Friedrich Schönbein , 1799–1868, ozone , gun cotton
- Roland Scholl , 1865–1945, vat dyes, polyaromatic hydrocarbons
- Carl Schorlemmer , 1834–1892, Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry
- Josef Schormüller , 1903–1974, food chemist , editor of the Handbook of Food Chemistry
- Gerhard Schrader , 1903–1990, organic phosphoric acid esters , insecticides such as parathion , chemical warfare agents such as tabun and sarin
- Ernst Schulze , 1840–1912, discoverer of the amino acids alanine, glutamine and phenylalanine and one of the pioneers in the scientific branch of biochemistry
- Glenn T. Seaborg , 1912-1999, Plutonium and Other Transuranics
- Nils Gabriel Sefström , 1787–1845, discovery of vanadium
- Frederick Soddy , 1877-1956, Isotopie
- Ernest Solvay , 1838-1922, Solvay Process
- Søren Peter Lauritz Sørensen , 1868–1939, pH concept
- Georg Ernst Stahl 1659–1734, founder of the phlogiston theory
- Jean Servais Stas , 1813-1891, atomic weight of carbon
- Hermann Staudinger , 1881–1965, polymers
- Alfred Stock , 1876–1946, borohydrides , silanes
- Gilbert Stork , 1921-2017, Total Synthesis of Quinine
- Fritz Straßmann , 1902–1980, nuclear fission , together with Otto Hahn
- Adolph Strecker , 1822–1871, Strecker synthesis
- Theodor Svedberg , 1884–1971, Kolloidchemie, NP 1926
- Joseph Wilson Swan , 1828–1914, synthetic fiber production : nitrocellulose is pressed through a spinneret, photography : dry method using bromide paper
T
- Ida Eva Tacke , 1896–1978, discovery of rhenium
- Smithson Tennant , 1761–1815, discovery of osmium , iridium
- Morris William Travers , 1872–1961, discovery of neon , krypton , xenon
- Edward Turner , 1798–1837, spread the idea that atomic weights were not multiples of the atomic weight of hydrogen
- Julius Tafel , 1862–1918, developed the Tafel equation for electrochemical kinetics named after him
U
- Ivar Ugi , 1930-2005, Multicomponent Reactions, Combinatorial Chemistry
- Georges Urbain , 1872–1938, discovery of ytterbium and lutetium
- Harold C. Urey (1893–1981), Isotope Chemistry, The Origin of Life, Nobel Prize
V
- Jacobus Henricus van 't Hoff , 1852–1911, Chirality of the carbon atom, pressure and temperature dependencies of reactions, NP
- Louis-Nicolas Vauquelin , 1763–1829, chrome , beryllium , osmium , asparagine
- Arnaldus de Villanova , 1235–1311, inventor of the Vin Doux Naturel , litmus as an indicator , maceration
W.
- Peter Waage , 1833–1900, law of mass action
- Johannes Diderik van der Waals , 1837–1923, gas equation, van der Waals forces
- Otto Wallach , 1847–1931, terpenes
- Heinrich Otto Wieland , 1877–1957, "Nobel Prize for research in the field of bile acid"
- Ulrich Wannagat , 1923–2003, organosilicon chemistry
- Adolf Windaus , 1876–1959, sterols , vitamins
- Clemens Alexander Winkler , 1838–1904, discovery of germanium
- Georg Wittig , 1897–1987, Olefinsynthese mit Phosphoryliden, NP 1979
- Friedrich Wöhler , 1800–1882, beginning of synthetic organic chemistry with urea synthesis
- William Hyde Wollaston , 1766–1828, discovery of palladium and rhodium , spatial arrangement of atoms, cysteine
- Robert B. Woodward , 1917–1979, organic synthesis: cholesterol , strychnine , chlorophyll , vitamin B12 , Prévost-Woodward hydroxylation
- Charles Adolphe Wurtz , 1817–1884, Wurtz-Fittig synthesis , synthesis of ethylamine , discovery of glycol and phosphorus oxychloride
Z
- Helmut Zahn , 1916–2004, protein chemistry, first synthesis of insulin
- Karl Ziegler , 1898–1973, catalytic polymerisation , metal alkyls
- Richard Adolf Zsigmondy , 1865–1929, Colloid Chemistry, NP 1925