Johann Karl Wilhelm Ferdinand Tiemann (June 10, 1848 – November 14, 1899) was a German chemist and together with

Karl Reimer Karl may refer to: People * Karl (given name), including a list of people and characters with the name * Karl der Große, commonly known in English as Charlemagne * Karl Marx, German philosopher and political writer * Karl of Austria, last Austri ...

discoverer of the Reimer-Tiemann reaction. Beginning in 1866, Tiemann studied pharmacy at the

TU Braunschweig The Technische Universität Braunschweig (unofficially University of Braunschweig – Institute of Technology), commonly referred to as TU Braunschweig, is the oldest ' (comparable to an institute of technology in the American system) in Germany. ...

where he graduated in 1869. His professor in Brunswick wrote a letter of recommendation to

August Wilhelm von Hofmann August Wilhelm von Hofmann (8 April 18185 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 g ...

at the University of Berlin where Tiemann started as assistant of von Hofmann in 1869. In 1874

Wilhelm Haarmann Gustav Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm Haarmann (24 May 1847 – 6 March 1931) was a German chemist and together with Karl Reimer and Ferdinand Tiemann as scientific consultant founded the Haarmann & Reimer chemical plant for the production of vanillin. ...

and Tiemann started a company, after they discovered the synthesis of

vanillin Vanillin is an organic compound with the molecular formula . It is a phenolic aldehyde. Its functional groups include aldehyde, hydroxyl, and ether. It is the primary component of the extract of the vanilla bean. Synthetic vanillin is now u ...

from

coniferyl alcohol Coniferyl alcohol is an organic compound with the formula HO(CH3O)C6H3CH=CHCH2OH. A colourless or white solid, it is one of the monolignols, produced via the phenylpropanoid biochemical pathway. When copolymerized with related aromatic compounds, ...

. The vanillin plant Holzminden was not very successful before

discovered the Reimer-Tiemann reaction which opened an alternative synthesis route to vanillin. In 1882 Tiemann became a professor at the

University of Berlin Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (german: Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, abbreviated HU Berlin) is a German public research university in the central borough of Mitte in Berlin. It was established by Frederick William III on the initiative ...

. He was involved in the first synthesis of Jonon a compound of the sweet violet (''

Viola odorata ''Viola odorata'' is a species of flowering plant in the genus ''Viola'', native to Europe and Asia. This small hardy herbaceous perennial is commonly known as wood violet, sweet violet, English violet, common violet, florist's violet, or garden ...

''), which became a huge success for Harmann & Reimer company. August Wilhelm von Hofmann married Berta the younger sister of Ferdinand Tiemann.

Works

* ''Tiemann-Gärtner's Handbuch der Untersuchung und Beurtheilung der Wässer : zum Gebrauch für Apotheker, Ärzte, Chemiker, Fabrikanten, Medicinalbeamte und Techniker ; mit 40 Holzstichen u. 10 Taf.'' . Vieweg, Braunschweig 4. Aufl. / bearb. von Georg Walter und August Gärtner 189
Digital edition
by the University and State Library Düsseldorf {{DEFAULTSORT:Tiemann, Ferdinand 1848 births 1899 deaths 19th-century German chemists Technical University of Braunschweig alumni Humboldt University of Berlin faculty People from the Kingdom of Hanover