Hofmann, AUGUST WILHELM

Hofmann, AUGUST WILHELM, chemist, was born at Giessen, 8th April 1818. After obtaining the degree of doctor of philosophy, he became assistant to Liebig in the laboratory at Giessen. When the Royal College of Chemistry was established in London in 1845 Hofmann was, on Liebig's recommendation, made superintendent of the new institution; and from 1856 to 1865 he was chemist to the royal mint. In 1865 he went to Berlin as professor of Chemistry. His contributions to the scientific journals here and in Germany are mainly on organic chemistry. It was in the course of these researches that from coal-products he obtained aniline (see ANILINE, DYEING). He devoted much time and labour to the development of the theory of chemical types. His Introduction to Modern Chemistry (1865; 7th ed. 1877) led to great reforms in the teaching of chemistry. He wrote on The Life-work of Liebig (1876), and, in German, on the work of the chemists Wöhler (1883) and Dumas (1885), as also Chemische Erinnerungen (1882). Ennobled in 1888, he died 5th May 1892.