Burckhardt Helferich

Burckhardt Helferich ( born June 10, 1887 in Greifswald, † 5 July 1982 in Bonn ) was a German chemist and university teacher.

Life

As the son of a surgeon Heinrich Burckhardt Helferich Helferich studied natural sciences and geology at the University of Lausanne. After one semester, he served as a one-year volunteer in Schwerin. From the autumn of 1907, he studied chemistry at the Technical University of Munich. After three semesters, he moved to the Technische Hochschule Berlin. In 1911 he was phil as an academic student of Emil Fischer Dr.. doctorate. He was then in his private and research assistant. In World War I he fought as a battery commander in the artillery.

In the interwar period he habilitated in 1920 at the University of Leipzig. As a lecturer he remained in Berlin. In 1922 he became a full professor of organic chemistry at the Johann Wolfgang Goethe University. Since the same year he was also head of department at the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Fiber Chemistry.

In 1925 he went as a successor of Rudolf Pummerer at the University of Greifswald. In 1930 he was appointed the University of Leipzig, where he was the successor of Arthur Hantzsch to 1945 Director of the Chemical Institute.

After the war he came to a two-year visiting professorship at the Rheinische Friedrich- Wilhelms-Universität Bonn there in his fourth Ordinariate. After he had been in 1954/55 Rector, he became Professor Emeritus in 1955.

Between 1911 and 1974 he wrote over 300 publications. His most famous student was Reinhard W. Hoffmann, who was a professor of organic chemistry at the Philipps- University of Marburg.

Honors

• Emil Fischer Medal (1951 )
• Great Cross of Merit (1957 )
• Member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina
• Dr. -Ing. E. H. the Technical University of Stuttgart

Burckhardt Helferich Price

The University of Leipzig has awarded since 2005 Burckhardt Helferich price.