
Heinrich Debus (13 July 1824 – 9 December 1915) was a German chemist.
Education and career
In 1838, he attended a trade school in
Kassel
Kassel (; in Germany, spelled Cassel until 1926) is a city on the Fulda River in North Hesse, northern Hesse, in Central Germany (geography), central Germany. It is the administrative seat of the Regierungsbezirk Kassel (region), Kassel and the d ...
, where he was taught by
Robert Wilhelm Bunsen. He studied chemistry from 1845 to 1848 in Marburg, and served as Bunsen's assistant from 1847. In 1848, he earned his doctorate by investigating a red madder dye. He completed his
habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...
in 1851 after Bunsen left for Breslau. At the suggestion of
Frederick Augustus Genth, Debus was named Bunsen's successor at
Marburg
Marburg (; ) is a college town, university town in the States of Germany, German federal state () of Hesse, capital of the Marburg-Biedenkopf Districts of Germany, district (). The town area spreads along the valley of the river Lahn and has ...
.
Later in 1851 he left for England to be a chemistry teacher at
Queenwood College followed from 1868 to 1870 by the position as Science Master at
Clifton College
Clifton College is a Public school (United Kingdom), public school in the city of Bristol in South West England, founded in 1862 and offering both boarding school, boarding and day school for pupils aged 13–18. In its early years, unlike mo ...
, Bristol. He then taught at
Guy's Hospital
Guy's Hospital is an NHS hospital founded by philanthropist Thomas Guy in 1721, located in the borough of Southwark in central London. It is part of Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and one of the institutions that comprise the Kin ...
, London from 1870 until appointed foundation Professor of Chemistry in 1873 at the new
Royal Naval College, Greenwich
The Royal Naval College, Greenwich, was a Royal Navy training establishment between 1873 and 1998, providing courses for naval officers. It was the home of the Royal Navy's staff college, which provided advanced training for officers. The equi ...
, where he remained until his retirement and return to Germany.
In 1858, Debus first synthesized
imidazole
Imidazole (ImH) is an organic compound with the formula . It is a white or colourless solid that is soluble in water, producing a mildly alkaline solution. It can be classified as a heterocycle, specifically as a diazole.
Many natural products, ...
from glyoxal, ammonia, and formaldehyde. The
Debus synthesis was later often commented by the Polish chemist
Bronisław Leonard Radziszewski. Therefore, this reaction is sometimes called "Radziszewski reaction".
He was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the Fellows of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
in 1861.
References
Further reading
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Debus, Heinrich
1824 births
1915 deaths
Scientists from Kassel
19th-century German chemists
Fellows of the Royal Society