Gottlieb Sigismund Constantin Kirchhoff (, tr. Konstantin Sigizmundovich Kirhgof; 19 February 1764 – 14 February 1833) was a Russian

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a graduated scientist trained in the study of chemistry, or an officially enrolled student in the field. Chemists study the composition of ...

of German origin. In 1792–1802, Assistant Director and then Director of the Head Pharmacy at Saint Petersburg. Corresponding member (1807–1812) and since 1812 Full member of the Petersburg Academy of Sciences (Russia). In 1811, he became the first person to convert

starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...

into a

sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...

(

corn syrup Corn syrup is a food syrup that is made from the starch of corn/maize and contains varying amounts of sugars: glucose, maltose and higher oligosaccharides, depending on the grade. Corn syrup is used in foods to soften Mouthfeel, texture, add vol ...

), by heating it with

sulfuric acid Sulfuric acid (American spelling and the preferred IUPAC name) or sulphuric acid (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth spelling), known in antiquity as oil of vitriol, is a mineral acid composed of the elements sulfur, oxygen, ...

in acid-catalyzed reaction.See: * Scherer (1811
"Kirchhof's entdeckte Zubereitung des Zuckers und Syrups aus Buchweizen"
(Kirchhoff's discovery of a preparation of sugar and syrup from buckwheat), ''Bulletin des Neuesten und Wissenwürdigsten aus der Naturwissenschaft'' … (Bulletin of the most recent and most useful to know ewsfrom science … ), 9 : 262–263. * Kirchhoff (1811) ''Mémoires de l'Académie impériale des sciences de St. Pétersbourg'', 4 : 27.
From page 27:
''"Mr. l'Adjoint ''Kirchhoff'' présenta à la Conférence trois flacons, contenans: 1°) du Sirop produit par l'art dans quelques végétaux (la pomme de terre, le froment et le blé noir ou Sarazin), … "'' (Assistant rofessorKirchhoff presented to the conference three bottles, containing: (1) syrup produced artificially from some vegetables (potato, wheat and buckwheat or Sarazin), … ) * (Editor) (1812
"Die Verfertigung des Zuckers aus Buchweizen- und andere Mehlarten"
(The manufacture of sugar from buckwheat and other flours), ''Bulletin des Neuesten und Wissenwürdigsten aus der Naturwissenschaft'' … , 10 : 88–89. * Кирхгоф, К. С. irchhoff, C. S.(1812
"О приготовлении сахара из крахмала"
prigotovlenii sakhara iz krakhmala, "On the preparation of sugar from starch" ''Технологический журнал'' ekhnologichesky zhurnal, Technology magazine 9 (1) : 3–26. This sugar was eventually named

glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecular formula , which is often abbreviated as Glc. It is overall the most abundant monosaccharide, a subcategory of carbohydrates. It is mainly made by plants and most algae d ...

.Asimov, ''

Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology ''Asimov's Biographical Encyclopedia of Science and Technology'' is a history of science by Isaac Asimov, written as the biographies of initially 1000 scientists and later with over 1500 entries. Organized chronologically, beginning with Imhotep ( ...

'' 2nd Revised edition He also developed a method of refining vegetable oil, and established a factory that prepared two tons of refined oil a day. Since the sulfuric acid was not consumed, it was the first documented example of

catalysis Catalysis () is the increase in rate of a chemical reaction due to an added substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed by the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recycles quick ...

in organic chemistry. (A term that

Jöns Jacob Berzelius Baron Jöns Jacob Berzelius (; 20 August 1779 – 7 August 1848) was a Swedish chemist. Berzelius is considered, along with Robert Boyle, John Dalton, and Antoine Lavoisier, to be one of the founders of modern chemistry. Berzelius became a memb ...

would later coin.)

References

1764 births 1833 deaths People from Teterow People from the Duchy of Mecklenburg-Schwerin Emigrants from the Holy Roman Empire Immigrants to the Russian Empire Chemists from the Russian Empire {{Russia-chemist-stub