Contents
August Kekulé
Proposing the ring structure of benzene.
Carbon bonding · Organic chemistry textbook
- Born
- 7 September 1829
- Birthplace
- Germany
- Died
- 13 July 1896
More people
August Kekulé
August Kekulé was an organic chemist who helped explain how atoms connect within molecules. His ideas about carbon bonding became fundamental to chemical structure.
Early life
Darmstadt
Was the son of a civil servant.
Change of direction
Entered Giessen to study architecture but switched to chemistry after hearing Justus von Liebig.
Career
- 1852
Doctorate
Completed his chemistry doctorate at Giessen.
- 1858
Ghent
Became a professor at the University of Ghent.
- 1865
Benzene
Proposed a six-carbon ring structure.
- 1867
Bonn
Moved to the University of Bonn.
Scientific work
Carbon bonding
Argued that carbon forms four bonds and can link to itself.
Organic chemistry textbook
Published an influential account of the field.
Benzene structure
Presented the ring model for the compound.
Beyond work
Travel
Worked in Paris, Switzerland and London early in his career.
Name
Adopted the form Kekule von Stradonitz when ennobled in 1895.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Biography and career evidence ↗Photo: Unknown author Unknown author Verlag / publisher: J.F. Lehmann, München. Public domain · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
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