2023 is the sesquicentennial of the death of Justus von Liebig, a pioneer in the practical education of organic chemists. His Giessen laboratory became a model for western Europe and his seminal 1832 paper on the benzoyl radical with his friend and colleague, Friedrich Wöhler (1800-1882) reported the first really systematic study of organic compounds. Liebig's influence on the development of organic chemistry inthe west is well known, but over the course of 20 years he was also instrumental in the education of students who became leaders of chemistry in Russia.<br/>With the move towards Russification of chemistry in Russia, it became essential for the empire to develop a cadre of well-educated Russians who could be appointed to the professoriate, and this necessitated sending Russian students to western Europe to attend lectures by the most eminent chemists of the time. Liebig became one of these mentors, but it was not as simple as one might assume. The first Russian student to study at Giessen was Aleksandr Abramovich Voskresenskii (1809-1880), who became the "grandfather of Russian organic Chemistry," but it took Liebig's personal intervention for him to be permitted to remain in Giessen, considered a "dangerously free-thinking" university; for his entire time there, Voskresenskii was under the surveillance of the Tsar's secret police. Two years later, Nikolai Nikolaevich Zinin (1812-1880) from Kazan, entered Liebig's laboratory, where he became part of the group involved in the benzoyl study. In 1851, Nikolai Nikolaevich Sokolov (1826-1877), later Professor of Chemistrt at St. Petersburg, studied with Liebig, and in 1855, Friedrich Konrad Beilstein (Fyodor Fyodorovich Beil'shein, 1838-1906) spent time in the Giessen laboratory, the last of the important Russian organic chemists to do so. Liebig's effect on the early development of Russian organic chemistry will be discussed.

Justus von Liebig (1803-1873) and Russia's first organic chemists

Where thousands of chemistry professionals meet to share ideas and advance scientific and technical knowledge. Spring 2023 abstracts, posters, and presentations will launch at the end of March.

ACS Spring 2023

The official archive and repository for all ACS Meetings & Expositions abstracts and select posters or presentations.