Hugo Weidel (13 November 1849 – 7 June 1899) was an

Austria Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...

chemist A chemist (from Greek ''chēm(ía)'' alchemy; replacing ''chymist'' from Medieval Latin ''alchemist'') is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties. Chemists carefully describe t ...

known for inventing Weidel's reaction and describing the structure of organic compound

niacin Niacin, also known as nicotinic acid, is an organic compound and a form of vitamin B3, an essential human nutrient. It can be manufactured by plants and animals from the amino acid tryptophan. Niacin is obtained in the diet from a variet ...

. For his achievements, Weidel received the

Lieben Prize The Ignaz Lieben Prize, named after the Austrian banker , is an annual Austrian award made by the Austrian Academy of Sciences to young scientists working in the fields of molecular biology, chemistry, or physics. Biography The Ignaz Lieben Pri ...

in 1880.

Life and work

Hugo Weidel was born in Vienna in 1849. He studied at the

Vienna University of Technology TU Wien (TUW; german: Technische Universität Wien; still known in English as the Vienna University of Technology from 1975–2014) is one of the major universities in Vienna, Austria. The university finds high international and domestic recogn ...

with

Heinrich Hlasiwetz Heinrich Hlasiwetz (7 April 1825 – 7 October 1875) was an Austrian chemist born in Reichenberg, Bohemia. Son of a pharmacist, he studied at the University of Jena, where his instructors included Johann Wolfgang Döbereiner (1780-1849), H ...

. He later moved to the

University of Heidelberg } Heidelberg University, officially the Ruprecht Karl University of Heidelberg, (german: Ruprecht-Karls-Universität Heidelberg; la, Universitas Ruperto Carola Heidelbergensis) is a public research university in Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg, ...

, Germany, and obtained a PhD degree there in 1870. After returning to Vienna, Weidel became assistant of Hlasiwetz in 1871. During that time, he started his research on oxidation products of cinchonine and

nicotine Nicotine is a natural product, naturally produced alkaloid in the nightshade family of plants (most predominantly in tobacco and ''Duboisia hopwoodii'') and is widely used recreational drug use, recreationally as a stimulant and anxiolytic. As ...

alkaloid Alkaloids are a class of basic, naturally occurring organic compounds that contain at least one nitrogen atom. This group also includes some related compounds with neutral and even weakly acidic properties. Some synthetic compounds of similar ...

s. He became lecturer at the University in 1874, and, after Ludwig Barth von Barthenau became the chair of the department, Weidel could intensify his research on alkaloids. Although the oxidation of nicotine was already known, Weidel was the first to isolate large enough amounts to determine the properties of the material. That work earned him the

in 1880. In 1886, Weidel became professor for

agricultural chemistry Agricultural chemistry is the study of chemistry, especially organic chemistry and biochemistry, as they relate to agriculture—agricultural production, the processing of raw products into foods and beverages, and environmental monitoring and r ...

at the

pedology Pedology (from Greek: πέδον, ''pedon'', "soil"; and λόγος, ''logos'', "study") is a discipline within soil science which focuses on understanding and characterizing soil formation, evolution, and the theoretical frameworks for modeling ...

institute in Vienna. Most of his time there was occupied by lecturing and educating students. After the retirement of von Barth in 1891, he returned to his previous institute and assumed a position of full professor. In 1890, Weidel became a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and in 1898 he received the Decoration of the Iron Crown of the emperor of Austria. Without any sign of illness, he delivered his lecture on the morning of June 7, 1899, but died after a few hours from a heart problem.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Weidel 1849 births 1899 deaths Austrian chemists