Sign in
August Wilhelm von Hofmann
Photo: Heinrich von Angeli, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons16

August Wilhelm von Hofmann

German chemist (1818–1892)

August Wilhelm von Hofmann (8 April 1818 – 5 May 1892) was a German chemist who made considerable contributions to organic chemistry. His research on aniline helped lay the basis of the aniline-dye industry, and his research on coal tar laid the groundwork for his student Charles Mansfield's practical methods for extracting benzene and toluene and converting them into nitro compounds and amines.2

From Wikipedia’s article on August Wilhelm von Hofmann (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Born Apr 8, 1818, died May 5, 1892.1

About

Hofmann's discoveries include formaldehyde, hydrazobenzene, the isonitriles, and allyl alcohol. He prepared three ethylamines and tetraethylammonium compounds and established their structural relationship to ammonia.

After studying under Justus von Liebig at the University of Giessen, Hofmann became the first director of the Royal College of Chemistry, now part of Imperial College London, in 1845. In 1865 he returned to Germany to accept a position at the University of Berlin as a teacher and researcher. After his return he co-founded the German Chemical Society (Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft) (1867).

In both London and Berlin, Hofmann recreated the style of laboratory instruction established by Liebig at Giessen, fostering a school of chemistry focused on experimental organic chemistry and its industrial applications.

Hofmann received several significant awards in the field of chemistry, including the Royal Medal (1854), the Copley Medal (1875) and the Albert Medal (1881). He was elected as a member of the American Philosophical Society in 1862. He was ennobled on his seventieth birthday. His name is associated with the Hofmann voltameter, the Hofmann rearrangement, the Hofmann–Martius rearrangement, Hofmann elimination, and the Hofmann–Löffler reaction.

From Wikipedia’s article on August Wilhelm von Hofmann, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.2

Companies

Early life and education

  • Date not recordedUniversity of Giessen3
  • Date not recordedUniversity of Göttingen3

August Wilhelm Hofmann was born at Giessen, Grand Duchy of Hesse, on 8 April 1818. He was the son of Johann Philipp Hofmann, privy councillor and provincial architect to the court at Darmstadt. As a young man, he travelled widely with his father. August Wilhelm matriculated at the University of Giessen in 1836.

He originally took up the study of law and philology at Giessen. He may have become interested in chemistry when his father enlarged Liebig's Giessen laboratories in 1839. August Wilhelm changed his studies to chemistry, and studied under Justus von Liebig. He obtained his PhD there in 1841. In 1843, after his father's death, he became one of Liebig's assistants.

His association with Liebig eventually became personal as well as professional. Both his first wife, Helene Moldenhauer (m. 12 August 1846), and his third wife, Elise Moldenhauer (m. 19 May 1866), were nieces of Liebig's wife, Henriette Moldenhauer. Hofmann reportedly courted Elise after Liebig's daughter Johanna refused him. In between, he married Rosamond Wilson (m. 13 December 1856), and later Bertha Tiemann (m. 11 August 1873) He had eleven children.

Read more

Royal College of Chemistry in London

As president of the Royal Society in London, Albert, Prince Consort to Queen Victoria, was determined to foster scientific advancement in Britain. In 1845, he proposed to start a school of practical chemistry in London, under the style of the Royal College of Chemistry. Liebig was approached for advice, and recommended Hofmann to the directorship of the new institution. Hofmann and the Prince met when Prince Albert, on a visit to his alma mater at Bonn, found his old rooms now occupied by Hofmann and his chemical apparatus. In 1845 Hofmann was approached by Sir James Clark, physician to Queen Victoria with the offer of the directorship. With the support of Prince Albert, and funding from a variety of private sources, the institution opened in 1845 with Hofmann as its first director.

The financial position of the new institution was somewhat precarious. Hofmann accepted the position on the condition that he be appointed as extraordinary professor at Bonn, with leave of absence for two years, so that he could resume his career in Germany if the English appointment did not go well. The college opened in 1845 with 26 students at 16 Hanover Square, moving to cheaper premises at 299 Oxford Street in 1848. Hofmann himself relinquished his free personal accommodation in Hanover Square and gave up part of his salary. Despite this rocky start, the institution became successful for a time, and was an international leader in the development of aniline dyes. Many of the men who studied there made significant contributions to chemical history.

In 1853, the Royal College of Chemistry became part of the governmental Department of Science and Art, under the new School of Mines, putting it in a position to receive governmental funding on a somewhat more secure basis. However, with the death of Prince Albert in 1861, the institution lost one of its most significant supporters. Hofmann felt the loss deeply, writing in 1863, "[Albert's] early kindness exercised so powerful an influence upon the destinies of my existence. Year by year do I feel more deeply the debt of gratitude which I owe to him... it is to him, I feel, that I owe my opportunities through life." Without the Prince's encouragement, British government and industry lost interest in science and technology. Hofmann's decision to return to Germany can be seen as a symptom of that decline, and with him gone, the Royal College of Chemistry lost its focus. Later, the Royal College of Chemistry, under the School of Mines, became part of Imperial College London as part of a drive to stop Britain falling behind Germany in science and technology.

Berlin University

In 1864 Hofmann was offered a chair of chemistry at the University of Bonn, and another at the University of Berlin. While taking his time to decide which offer to accept, Hofmann designed laboratory buildings for both universities, which were both subsequently built. In 1865 he succeeded Eilhard Mitscherlich at the University of Berlin as professor of chemistry and director of the chemical laboratory. He held the position until his death in 1892. Following his return to Germany Hofmann was the principal founder of the German Chemical Society (Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft zu Berlin) (1867) and served 14 terms as its president.

From Wikipedia’s article on August Wilhelm von Hofmann (this version), CC BY-SA 4.0.

Career

Occupation: university teacher, chemist.8

  • Date not recordedWorked at University of Bonn4
  • Date not recordedWorked at Royal School of Mines4
  • Date not recordedWorked at Frederick William University Berlin4
  • Date not recordedFounded Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft5
  • Date not recordedFounded German Chemical Society6
  • Date not recordedChair, Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft7

Personal life

  • BornApr 8, 1818, Giessen9
  • DiedMay 5, 1892, Berlin10
  • CitizenshipGrand Duchy of Hesse11
  • SpousesAuguste Wilhelmine Berta Tiemann12; Helene Moldenhauer12; Elise Barbetta Moldenhauer12; Rosamond Margaret Jane Wilson12

Awards

  • 1888ennoblement13
  • 1881Albert Medal13
  • 1875Copley Medal13 14
  • 1875Faraday Lectureship Prize13
  • 1870Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art13
  • 1854Royal Medal13
  • 1849honorary member of the Physics Association (Frankfurt am Main, Germany)13
  • Date not recordedFellow of the Royal Society13
  • Date not recordedPour le Mérite for Sciences and Arts order13

Sources

The numbers on this page point here. Each one links to the record it came from.

  1. 1
  2. 2
  3. 3
  4. 4
  5. 5
  6. 6
  7. 7
  8. 8
  9. 9
  10. 10
  11. 11
  12. 12
  13. 13
  14. 14
  15. 15
  16. 16