Adolf von Baeyer
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Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolph von Baeyer (1835 - 1917)

Prof. Dr. Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolph (Adolf) von Baeyer aka Baeyer
Born in Berlin, Brandenburg, Preußen, Deutscher Bundmap
Son of [father unknown] and [mother unknown]
[sibling(s) unknown]
Husband of — married 8 Aug 1868 in Berlin, Brandenburg, Deutschlandmap
Descendants descendants
Died at age 81 in Starnberg, Bayern, Deutsches Reichmap
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Profile last modified | Created 9 Nov 2015
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Biography

Notables Project
Adolf von Baeyer is Notable.

Adolf von Baeyer was a German chemist who is known for synthesizing indigo and developing a nomenclature for cyclic compounds. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1905 for his services to "the development of organic chemistry and the chemical industry through his work on organic dyes and hydroaromatic compounds."[1]

Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolph Baeyer – better known as Adolf von Baeyer – was born on Halloween, 31 Oct 1835 in Berlin, Brandenburg, Deutscher Bund, to parents Johann Jacob Baeyer (1794-1885), a Prussian officer and geodesist, and his wife Wanda Eugenie Adolphine Henriette, née Hitzig (1807-1843).[2][3][4][5][6]

After graduating from secondary school in 1853, Adolf began studying physics and mathematics at the University of Berlin. After a stint in the Prussian army, he began studying chemistry at the University of Heidelberg in 1856, initially under Robert Bunsen, later under August Kekulé. He received his doctorate in 1858 under Friedrich Kekulé with a dissertation on cacodyl compounds. In 1859 he followed Kekulé to the University of Ghent, when Kekulé became professor there. In 1860 Baeyer habilitated in Berlin and accepted a teaching position in organic chemistry at the "Gewerbeinstitut" in Berlin. In 1866 he became a professor extraordinarius at Berlin University.[7][8]

On 8 Aug 1868, Adolf married Fanny Adelheid Bendemann in Berlin,[9] the daughter of a family friend. They had the following children:

In 1872 Baeyer became a professor of chemistry at the University of Straßburg. In 1875 he succeeded Justus von Liebig as professor of chemistry at the University of Munich.[8] With his tenure at Munich came – among other things – elegant total syntheses of indigo, the blue dye had fascinated him since his youth and that he had begun researching in Berlin in 1865.[14] This made it possible to manufacture indigo industrially instead of having to extract it from plants, which lead to a significant cost reduction.

On his 50th birthday Adolf was raised to the hereditary nobility by King Ludwig II of Bavaria (bestowing him with the distinction "von").[14]

At the time of the Nobel Prize award, he was affiliated with Munich University.[15]

Adolf von Baeyer passed away 20 Aug 1917 in Starnberg, Bayern, Deutsches Reich, at age 81.[16]

Sources

  1. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1905. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. Sun. 29 Jan 2023. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1905/summary/
  2. Kirchenbuch, Evangelische Kirche, Garnisongemeinde Berlin, Taufen 1833-1840
  3. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPXC-682D : 26 October 2021), Johann Friederich Wilhelm Adolph Baeyer, 31 Oct 1835; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Birth, Berlin, Brandenburg, Deutschland, Berlin, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
  4. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPRK-B7MH : 27 October 2021), Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolph Beÿer, 25 Dec 1835; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Berlin, Brandenburg, Deutschland, Berlin, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
  5. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPVF-8D9T : 27 October 2021), Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolph Beÿer, 20 Dec 1835; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Berlin, Brandenburg, Deutschland, Berlin, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
  6. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPVF-18D6 : 26 October 2021), Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolph Baeÿer, 20 Dec 1835; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Berlin, Brandenburg, Preußen, Berlin, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
  7. English Wikipedia article on Adolf von Baeyer on Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia
  8. 8.0 8.1 German Wikipedia article on Adolf von Baeyer
  9. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPV8-B3GP : 26 October 2021), Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolph Baeÿer, 8 Aug 1868; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Marriage, Berlin, Brandenburg, Deutschland, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
  10. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N6NW-G38 : 26 October 2021), Eugenie Baeyer, 1869.
  11. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPV8-T761 : 26 October 2021), Eugenie Baeyer, 14 Nov 1869; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Berlin, Brandenburg, Deutschland, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
  12. "Deutschland Geburten und Taufen, 1558-1898", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:N6N4-HWL : 26 October 2021), Adolph Franz Baeyer, 1871.
  13. "Deutschland, ausgewählte evangelische Kirchenbücher 1500-1971," database, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QPV8-B47V : 26 October 2021), Adolph Franz Baeÿer, 15 Feb 1871; images digitized and records extracted by Ancestry; citing Baptism, Berlin, Brandenburg, Deutschland, German Lutheran Collection, various parishes, Germany.
  14. 14.0 14.1 Adolf von Baeyer – Biographical. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2023. Sun. 29 Jan 2023. https://www.nobelprize.org/prizes/chemistry/1905/baeyer/biographical/
  15. Adolf von Baeyer – Facts. NobelPrize.org. Nobel Prize Outreach AB 2022. Fri. 14 Jan 2022.
  16. Find A Grave: Memorial #162150602

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Comments: 3

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Since he was only ennobled on his 50th birthday, his LNAB should be "Baeyer", not "von Baeyer".
Hello 24th cousin once removed,

I imagine that the entry for Adolph von B. was created by someone working on 'notables'. I became involved in Wiki only in 2020, adding my step-father in 2021 and so followed the nomenclature used for his grand-papa. The problem of particles such as von, du, de, etc. arises in library cataloguing. My step-brothers seem to use Baeyer and von Baeyer interchangeably when talking about the family.

Thanks for your response. Yes, people with "von" in their name often use their name interchangeably with or without "von". But the "von" should not be used for someone whose name it is not officially part of. That's why in the case of Adolf Baeyer, the LNAB should be "Baeyer" and the Current Last Name should be "von Baeyer". I can't change it myself because I am not on the Trusted List. Strictly speaking, his children should also have the LNAB "Baeyer" and the Current Last Name "von Baeyer" because – even though the title was hereditary – Adolf did not yet have it at the time of their birth.