Hans von Pechmann (1 April 1850 – 19 April 1902) was a German chemist, renowned for his discovery of diazomethane in 1894. Pechmann condensation and Pechmann pyrazole synthesis. He also first prepared

1,2-diketone In organic chemistry, a dicarbonyl is a molecule containing two carbonyl () groups. Although this term could refer to any organic compound containing two carbonyl groups, it is used more specifically to describe molecules in which both carbonyls ...

s (e.g., diacetyl),

acetonedicarboxylic acid Acetonedicarboxylic acid, 3-oxoglutaric acid or β-ketoglutaric acid is a simple dicarboxylic acid. Preparation Acetonedicarboxylic acid can also be prepared by decarboxylation of citric acid in fuming sulfuric acid: : Applications Acetonedicar ...

, methylglyoxal and diphenyltriketone; established the symmetrical structure of anthraquinone. Von Pechmann also produced the first example of solid polyethylene

serendipitous Serendipity is an unplanned fortunate discovery. Serendipity is a common occurrence throughout the history of product invention and scientific discovery. Etymology The first noted use of "serendipity" was by Horace Walpole on 28 January 1754. ...

ly in 1898, via the decomposition of diazomethane. He was born in

Nürnberg Nuremberg ( ; german: link=no, Nürnberg ; in the local East Franconian dialect: ''Nämberch'' ) is the second-largest city of the German state of Bavaria after its capital Munich, and its 518,370 (2019) inhabitants make it the 14th-largest ci ...

. After studying with

Heinrich Limpricht Heinrich Limpricht (21 April 1827 – 13 May 1909) was a German chemist. Limpricht was a pupil of Friedrich Wöhler; he worked on the chemistry of furans and pyrroles, discovering furan in 1870. In 1852 he became lecturer and in 1855 extraor ...

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.

Works

* ''Volhard's Anleitung zur Qualitativen chemischen Analyse'' . Chemisches Labolatorium des Staates, München 9th & 10th ed. 190
Digital edition
by the

University and State Library Düsseldorf The University and State Library Düsseldorf (german: Universitäts- und Landesbibliothek Düsseldorf, abbreviated ULB Düsseldorf) is a central service institution of Heinrich Heine University. Along with Bonn and Münster, it is also one of th ...

* ''Anleitung zur quantitativen Analyse nach Cl. Zimmermann : zum Gebrauche im chemischen Laboratorium des Staates zu München'' . Chemisches Laboratorium des Staates, München 10th ed. 190
Digital edition
by the

References

* Partington, J. R. ''A History of Chemistry''. Macmillan: 1964; vol. 4, p. 838-839. 1850 births 19th-century German chemists University of Greifswald alumni German chemists Suicides by poison Suicides in Germany 1902 suicides {{Germany-chemist-stub

Works

See also

References