Hans von Pechmann

Hans von Pechmann
Born1 April 1850
Died19 April 1902(1902-04-19) (aged 52)
Alma materUniversity of Greifswald
Known forPechmann condensation Diazomethane
Scientific career
Fieldsorganic chemistry
InstitutionsUniversity of Munich University of Tübingen
Doctoral advisorHeinrich Limpricht
Doctoral studentsWilliam Hobson Mills Julius B. Cohen

Freiherr[a] Hans von Pechmann (1 April 1850 – 19 April 1902) was a German chemist, renowned for his discovery of diazomethane in 1894.[1][2] Pechmann condensation[3][4] and Pechmann pyrazole synthesis.[5] He also first prepared 1,2-diketones (e.g., diacetyl), acetonedicarboxylic acid, methylglyoxal and diphenyltriketone; established the symmetrical structure of anthraquinone.

Von Pechmann also produced the first example of solid polyethylene serendipitously in 1898, via the decomposition of diazomethane.

Life

Von Pechmann was born in Nürnberg, the only son of a doctor, who was also named Hans. The von Pechmanns had distinguished themselves as soldiers; in 1702, von Pechmann's ancestor Martin Günther von Pechmann, a general of artillery in the Bavarian army, had been raised to the rank of a baron of the Holy Roman Empire by Leopold I.[6] After studying with Heinrich Limpricht at the University of Greifswald he became professor at the University of Munich till 1895. He was professor at the University of Tübingen from 1895 until his death. He killed himself by taking cyanide, aged 52.[6]

Works

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Regarding personal names: Freiherr was a title before 1919, but now is regarded as part of the surname. It is translated as Baron. Before the August 1919 abolition of nobility as a legal class, titles preceded the full name when given (Graf Helmuth James von Moltke). Since 1919, these titles, along with any nobiliary prefix (von, zu, etc.), can be used, but are regarded as a dependent part of the surname, and thus come after any given names (Helmuth James Graf von Moltke). Titles and all dependent parts of surnames are ignored in alphabetical sorting. The feminine forms are Freifrau and Freiin.

References

  1. ^ H. von Pechmann (1894). "Ueber Diazomethan". Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft. 27 (2): 1888–1891. doi:10.1002/cber.189402702141.
  2. ^ H. von Pechmann (1895). "Ueber Diazomethan". Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft. 28 (1): 855–861. doi:10.1002/cber.189502801189.
  3. ^ H. von Pechmann, Carl Duisberg (1883). "Ueber die Verbindungen der Phenole mit Acetessigäther". Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft. 16 (1): 2119–2128. doi:10.1002/cber.188301602117.
  4. ^ H. von Pechmann (1884). "Neue Bildungsweise der Cumarine. Synthese des Daphnetins". Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft. 17 (1): 929–936. doi:10.1002/cber.188401701248.
  5. ^ H. von Pechmann (1898). "Pyrazol aus Acetylen und Diazomethan". Berichte der deutschen chemischen Gesellschaft. 31 (3): 2950–2951. doi:10.1002/cber.18980310363.
  6. ^ a b Koenigs, Wilhelm (1903). "Hans von Pechmann". Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft. 36 (4): 4417–4511. doi:10.1002/cber.190303604134.