Adolf Karl Ludwig Claus

Adolf Karl Ludwig Claus ( born June 6 1838 in Kassel, † May 4, 1900 in Horheim ) was a German chemist, who first suggested a hexagonal structural formula for benzene.

Life

His parents were the Münzwardein Heinrich Claus and Charlotte, born judge. His brother was the zoologist Carl Friedrich Claus ( 1835-1899 ).

Claus attended high school in his hometown of Kassel and studied at the University of Marburg first medicine. In 1859 he became a member of the Corps Teutonia Marburg. But he became a pupil of Hermann Kolbe to chemistry. He earned his doctorate at Friedrich Wöhler. In 1867 he became associate professor in 1876 and full professor of chemistry and technology at the University of Freiburg im Breisgau, the dean he was 1881/82.

Claus researched in the field of heterocyclic compounds as well as quinoline derivatives mainly on fused ring systems such as naphthalene, anthracene, and phenanthrene. In the former debate on the structure of the benzene he used first a hexagonal structure of the molecule. He proposed in 1867 the so-called diagonal formula is present in which the ring atoms possessed additionally bonds:

In 1900 he died at the age of 60 years on his estate in Horheim.

Writings

• Theoretical considerations and their applications to the classification of organic chemistry. Freiburg 1866.
• The basic principles of the modern theory of organic chemistry. Freiburg in 1871.