German Chemist Friedrich Konrad Beilstein (1838-1906) in the Citation: Sztejnberg A
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Firenze University Press www.fupress.com/substantia Historical Articles The Eminent Russian – German Chemist Friedrich Konrad Beilstein (1838-1906) in the Citation: Sztejnberg A. (2021) The Emi- th st nent Russian German Chemist Frie- Literature between the 19 and 21 Centuries drich Konrad Beilstein (1838-1906) in the Literature between the 19th and 21st Centuries. Substantia 5(1): 135-156. doi: 10.36253/Substan- Aleksander Sztejnberg tia-1097 University of Opole, Oleska 48, 45-052 Opole, Poland Received: Sep 12, 2020 E-mail: [email protected] Revised: Nov 30, 2020 Abstract. Friedrich Konrad Beilstein (1838-1906) was one of the most prominent Just Accepted Online: Dec 01, 2020 chemists of the second half of the nineteenth century. His life and scientific achieve- ments were described in the literature published between the 19th and 21st centuries in Published: Mar 01, 2021 different countries. The purpose of this paper is to familiarize readers with the impor- Copyright: © 2021 Sztejnberg A. This is tant events in the life of Beilstein and his research activities, in particular with selected an open access, peer-reviewed article results of his experimental studies. The names of authors of biographical notes or biog- published by Firenze University Press raphies about Beilstein, published in 1890-2018, and literature on his correspondence (http://www.fupress.com/substantia) are given. In addition, a list of his publications is included. and distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, Keyword: F. K. Beilstein, Organic chemistry, Beilstein test, Handbuch der organischen which permits unrestricted use, distri- bution, and reproduction in any medi- Chemie, Russia, Germany – XIX century. um, provided the original author and source are credited. Data Availability Statement: All rel- evant data are within the paper and its 1. THE IMPORTANT EVENTS IN BEILSTEIN’S LIFE Supporting Information files. Friedrich Konrad Beilstein (Fyodor Fyodorovich Beil’shtein, Фëдор Competing Interests: The Author(s) 1 declare(s) no conflict of interest. Фëдорович Бейльштейн) was called a man of high rank in the profession as well as a man of extraordinary erudition and excellent language skills.2 One hundred and fourteen years have passed since his death, but in that time little has appeared in the literature about this outstanding man. He went down in the history of chemistry as one of the creators of synthesis in organic chemistry, as well as a person who for a long period of his life sys- tematized organic compounds. Beilstein was born into a family of German emigrants in St. Petersburg on February 5 [according to the Julian calendar (Old Style); Feb. 17, by the Gregorian calendar (New Style), adopted in Russia on February 1, 1918] 1838, and he was the son of Karl Friedrich Beilstein (1809-1865), and Katharina Margarete (née Rutsch) (1818-1883). His grandfather moved to Russia in his youth from the city of Darmstad.3 At the age of 14, after study at Petrischule,4 the excellent German school of the Russian capital, he continued his education (September, 1853-1855) at Heidelberg, where his interest in chemistry was inspired and directed by Robert Bunsen (1811-1899).5 In 1855, he transferred to Munich, where he Substantia. An International Journal of the History of Chemistry 5(1): 135-156, 2021 ISSN 2532-3997 (online) | DOI: 10.36253/Substantia-1097 136 Aleksander Sztejnberg listened to lectures of Justus von Liebig (1803-1873) as Beilstein was appointed official delegate of CTM to well as he studied mathematics and physics. In Munich, almost all International Expositions, starting from Paris under Philipp von Jolly (1809-1884) he completed his in 1867. After visiting an exhibition in Vienna, together first experimental investigation Ueber die Diffusion von with Alexander Kirillovich Krupsky (1845-1911), they Flüssigkeiten (Concerning the Diffusion of Liquids).6 In wrote a book in Russian called Factory Chemical Industry April 1856, he returned to Heidelberg, where he worked of Western European Countries at the Vienna Universal under Bunsen until March 1857. Then he went to Göt- Exhibition of 1873. It was published in 1874.14 A year ear- tingen where, under Friedrich Wöhler (1800-1882), he lier, Beilstein’s book entitled Die chemische Grossindustrie established murexide as the ammonium salt of purpu- auf der Weltaustellung zu Wien im Jahre 1873 was pub- ric acid.7 In February 1858, at the age of 20, he submit- lished in Leipzig.15 ted his thesis Ueber das Murexid to the Philosophical “Beilstein’s international prestige was to a certain Faculty of the University of Göttingen and obtained his extent contributed by his personal qualities: great eru- doctor’s degree in Philosophy.8 In October 1858 he went dition, interest in social life and excellent knowledge to Paris where he worked in the laboratory of Charles- of languages, which allowed him to take an active part Adolphe Wurtz (1817-1884) in the École de Médecine in the work of various international congresses, exhibi- until September 1859. Then he moved to Breslau (now, tions, in celebrations of anniversaries. In addition to Wrocław, Poland), where he became the laboratory assis- Russian and German, French and English, Beilstein was tant of Carl Jacob Löwig (1803-1890). fluent in Italian and Swedish.” 16 In 1860, he was invited by Wöhler to return to Göttingen, where he spent six years actively engaged in organic chemistry experimental research.9 In the same Beilstein’s participation in the scientific celebrations abroad year, he attended the first ever International Congress of Chemists held in Karlsruhe (Germany) on 3-5 Sep- Beilstein repeatedly was a representative of the tember. In November, as a private docent at the Uni- Imperial Saint Petersburg Academy of Sciences on anni- versity of Göttingen, he began to lecture. In 1865, he versaries, e.g. University of Halle (1894). In 1900, he vis- was appointed extraordinary professor. From this year, ited Berlin to participate in the conference devoted to together with Hans Hübner (1837-1884) and Rudolph the 200th Anniversary of Royal Prussian Academy of Sciences.17 Figure 1 is a photography made during this Fittig (1835-1910), he continued editing Zeitschrift für 18 Chemie (1865-1871), founded by August Kekulé (1829- celebration. Benjamin Harrow (1888-1970) inserted this 1896).10 photo on the one of first pages of his book entitled Emi- In 1866, at the age of 28, Beilstein was invited to nent Chemists of Our Time. He also wrote that it “show- ing several eminent chemists was taken at one of the succeed Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev (1834-1907) at the 19 Imperial Technological Institute of St. Petersburg, where international scientific gatherings.” he subsequently taught for 30 years. His duties included Photograph was published by Harrow thanks to the lecturing on general chemistry (inorganic, organic and kindness of the Dutch chemist Ernst Julius Cohen (1869- 1944).20 From the left to right are standing: the German theoretical), laboratory management and conducting 21 laboratory classes on analytical chemistry. He performed chemist Albert Ladenburg (1842-1911), the Danish chemist and historian of chemistry Sophus Mads Jør- these duties until 1891, when after 25 years of work and 22 approval as an honorary professor, he still worked as a gensen (1837-1914), the Finnish chemist and historian of chemistry Evard Immanuel Hjelt (1855-1921),23 the professor until 1896. In that year, professor Mikhail 24 Dmitrievich Lvov (1849-1899) became his successor.11 German chemist Hans Heinrich Landolt (1831-1910), the German chemist Clemens Alexander Winkler (1838- Since 1867, in parallel with his professorship at the 25 Imperial Technological Institute, he lectured in chem- 1904), who discovered germanium in 1886, and the British chemist and historian of chemistry Thomas istry at the Nikolaev Engineering Academy and was 26 a chemist in the Council of Trade and Manufactures Edward Thorpe (1845-1925). (CTM).12 In 1868, he was one of the founding mem- To the left of Beilstein, who sat second from the left, was the Dutch chemist Jacobus Henricus van’t Hoff (1852- bers of the Russkoye Khimicheskoye Obshchestvo (Rus- 27 sian Chemical Society) at the Saint Petersburg Imperial 1911), a Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 1901, and on the right ‒ the Scottish chemist William Ramsay (1852- University. For his scientific work, in particular for his 28 experimental studies, in 1874 he was elevated to the to 1916), who discovered of inert gaseous elements in air the degree of Doctor of Chemistry Imperial Moscow (neon, argon, krypton, and xenon) and was awarded the University.13 Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1904, the Russian chemist D. I. Mendeleev,29-30 who discovered the Periodic Law in The Eminent Russian – German Chemist Friedrich Konrad Beilstein (1838-1906) in the Literature between 19th and 21st Centuries 137 Otto Lutz published his obituary in Angewandte Chemie.41 One of his statements about Beilstein was also quoted by Lyudmila Anatolyevna Shmulevich and the Russian historian of chemistry Yusuf Suleymanovich Musabekov (1910-1970). They wrote: “Chemistry again suffered a sensitive loss ... Died a man who did a lot for the progress of science, a man who, thanks to his pecu- liar talent, combined with extraordinary hard work, was able to create a work that has no equal and is intended to facilitate the work of chemists and encourage them to be creative.” 42 Figure 1. Beilstein with the group of the prominent chemists (Pub- 2. BEILSTEIN’S WORKS lic domain, from reference 18). The list of works published by him includes over one hundred and eighty articles and books that appeared in 1871, the German chemist Adolf von Baeyer (1835-1917),31 print for forty-three years from 1856 to 1899. The major- who received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1905, and ity of these are the articles presenting the results of his the Italian chemist Alfonso Cossa (1833-1902).32 experimental works, published in the Zhurnal Russkogo fiziko-khimicheskogo obshchestvain Russia, as well as in German and French journals.