Wilhelm Haarmann

Gustav Ludwig Friedrich Wilhelm Haarmann ( born May 24, 1847 in Minden wood; † March 6, 1931 in Hoexter ) was a German chemist, the 1874 together with Ferdinand Tiemann the first synthesis of vanillin.

Life and work

Haarmann began his studies in 1866 at the Mining Academy, then studied at Göttingen and in 1869 in Berlin with August Wilhelm von Hofmann. In 1872 he received his doctorate in Göttingen with a dissertation On Some derivatives of glucosides coniferin and salicin. Coniferin is the glucoside of coniferyl alcohol, which is included in the cambial juice of softwoods ( conifers ). Together with Tiemann, another student Hofmann, 1874, he discovered the oxidation of coniferin with chromium trioxide to glucovanillin, which could be cleaved by treatment with acid or enzymes into glucose and vanillin.

For large- scale use of this synthetic route Haarmann founded in 1875 in Wood Minden Haarmann 's Vanillinfabrik. Tiemann aspired to an academic career and therefore participated only as a silent partner in the company, which he will continue stood as a consultant.

Together with another student Hofmann, Karl Ludwig Reimer, Haarmann managed more cost-effective representation of vanillin from eugenol, a component of clove oil. A 1891 developed by Tiemann isoeugenol method further lowered production costs and made the vanillin production profitable. 1893, the production of violet flavor ionone was added by a process invented by Tiemann method.

Reimer came in 1876 in the company, which was called from then Haarmann & Reimer. It was bought in 1953 by Bayer AG and is absorbed into the company Symrise 2003.