German chemist (1857?1928)
Geheimrat
Julius Wilhelm Theodor Curtius
(27 May 1857 – 8 February 1928) was professor of Chemistry at
Heidelberg University
and elsewhere. He published the
Curtius rearrangement
in 1890/1894 and also discovered
diazoacetic acid
,
hydrazine
and
hydrazoic acid
.In 1882 he carried out the first ever peptide synthesis, creating the N-protected dipeptide, benzoylglycylglycine
[1]
History
[
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]
Theodor Curtius was born in
Duisburg
in the Ruhr area in Germany. He studied chemistry with
Robert Bunsen
at
Heidelberg University
and with
Hermann Kolbe
at
Leipzig University
. He received his doctorate in 1882 in Leipzig.
After working from 1884 to 1886 for
Adolf von Baeyer
at the
University of Munich
, Curtius became the director of the analytical chemistry department at
University of Erlangen
until 1889. Then he accepted the chair in Chemistry at the
University of Kiel
, where he remained very productive. In line with this success, Curtius was appointed
Geheimer Regierungsrat
(
Privy Councillor
) in 1895. After a one-year appointment as the successor of the famous
August Kekule
at
Bonn University
in 1897, Curtius succeeded
Victor Meyer
as Professor of Chemistry at his old university in Heidelberg in 1898, where he remained until his retirement in 1926. He was succeeded by
Karl Freudenberg
, who wrote Curtius' biography in 1962.
[1]
In his free time, he also composed music, sang in concerts, and was an active mountaineer. In 1894 he founded the Kiel section of the Association of German and Austrian Alpinists, which he personally supported with gifts. In his Munich period, he became a close friend of the alpinist guide
Christian Klucker
, with whom he made mountaineering hikes for many years thereafter.
Theodor Curtius died in Heidelberg on 8 February 1928.
The Heidelberg University Archives has, in its possession, a photo album from 1907 marking the 25th anniversary of Theodor Curtius receiving his Doctorate. It shows pictures of science scholars, buildings, and labs such as the physio-chemical, pharmaceutical, and organics labs, and much more.
Major publications by Curtius
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Curtius wrote over 300 publications. Several had a significant impact on chemical science.
- Diazo- und Azoverbindungen der Fettreihe, Barth, Leipzig (1888)
- Studien mit Hydrazin, Barth, Leipzig, Bd 1,2 (1896), Bd 3,4 (1918)
- Einwirkung von Basen auf Diazoessigester, Berlin (1911)
- Die reduktion der aromatische Aldazine und Ketazine, Barth, Leipzig (1912)
- Hydrazide und Azide der Azidofettsauren, Berlin (1912)
- Die Einwirkungen von Hydrazin auf Nitroverbindungen, Barth, Leipzig (1913)
- Buchner, E.
; Curtius, Th. (1885).
"Synthese von Ketonsaureathern aus Aldehyden und Diazoessigather"
.
Berichte
(in German).
18
(2): 2373?2377.
doi
:
10.1002/cber.188501802118
.
- Buchner, E.
; Curtius, Th. (1885).
"Ueber die Einwirkung von Diazoessigather auf aromatische Kohlenwasserstoffe"
.
Berichte
(in German).
18
(2): 2377?2379.
doi
:
10.1002/cber.188501802119
.
- Curtius, Th. (1890).
"Chemische Notizen"
.
Berichte
(in German).
23
(2): 3023?3041.
doi
:
10.1002/cber.189002302233
.
- Curtius, Th. (1894).
"Hydrazide und Azide organischer Sauren I. Abhandlung"
.
J. Prakt. Chem.
(in German).
50
(1): 275?294.
doi
:
10.1002/prac.18940500125
.
Curtius family
[
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The Curtius family is historically from Bremen area. Several other members of the family were notable.
See also
[
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References
[
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]
Sources
[
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]
- ^
Karl Freudenberg (1963). "Obituary: Theodor Curtius. 1857-1928".
Chemische Berichte
.
96
(4): I?XXV.
doi
:
10.1002/cber.19630960434
.
External links
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