Adolph Strecker
Encyclopedia
Adolph Strecker was a German
chemist
who is remembered primarily for his work with amino acids.
working for the hessian Grand Duke
. Adolph Strecker attended school in Darmstadt until 1838 when he changed to the higher Gewerbeschule. After receiving his abitur in 1840, Strecker began studying science at the University of Gießen, where Justus Liebig was a professor. In August 1842, Strecker received his PhD and began teaching at a realschule
in Darmstadt. He refused one offer to work for Liebig, but in 1846 he accepted another and became Liebig's private assistant at the University of Gießen. Strecker finished his habilitation in 1848 and became a lecturer at the university.
Strecker investigated a wide variety of problems in both organic and inorganic chemistry during his time at Gießen. Examples include the molecular masses of silver
and carbon
, the reactions of lactic acid
, the decomposition of hippuric acid
by nitric acid
, and the separation of cobalt
and nickel
.
Strecker wanted to leave Gießen for a position at the University of Berlin, but when he heard of an open position at Norway's University of Christiania, he applied for it and in 1851 became a professor there. While in Norway, Strecker focused on organic chemistry, covering a broad range of topics from organometallic chemistry to natural products. Also while in Norway, Strecker returned to Germany for several holidays. During one such visit to Darmstadt, he married on July 3, 1852. His wife died on October 13, 1853; he married a second time on September 29, 1855.
Strecker left Norway on Gmelin's death in 1860 to accept the latter's position at the University of Tübingen. There he conducted research on guanine
, xanthine
, caffeine
, and theobromine
, and on the very toxic thallium
oxides, which damaged his health severely. He moved to the University of Würzburg
in 1870, but his first semester was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War
of 1870–1871. Strecker became an officer during the war and returned to the university after it, where he started his last semester. In the summer of 1871 he undertook a recreational holiday in Berchtesgaden
, Bavaria
, but his health began to deteriorate. Strecker died in Würzburg
, where he is buried in the Hauptfriedhof.
involves the reaction of potassium cyanide
, ammonium chloride
, and an aldehyde to make an alpha amino acid. The reaction can also be run with ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and an aldehyde.
Because of the relative simplicity of the reactants, the Strecker synthesis has been invoked by those studying both the origin of life and meteoritic amino acids.
Also named for Strecker are the Strecker degradation
, which involves the conversion of amino acids into imines and then into ketones, and the Strecker sulfite alkylation.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
chemist
Chemist
A chemist is a scientist trained in the study of chemistry. Chemists study the composition of matter and its properties such as density and acidity. Chemists carefully describe the properties they study in terms of quantities, with detail on the level of molecules and their component atoms...
who is remembered primarily for his work with amino acids.
Life and work
Strecker was born in Darmstadt, the son of Ludwig Strecker, an archivistArchivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
working for the hessian Grand Duke
Grand Duke
The title grand duke is used in Western Europe and particularly in Germanic countries for provincial sovereigns. Grand duke is of a protocolary rank below a king but higher than a sovereign duke. Grand duke is also the usual and established translation of grand prince in languages which do not...
. Adolph Strecker attended school in Darmstadt until 1838 when he changed to the higher Gewerbeschule. After receiving his abitur in 1840, Strecker began studying science at the University of Gießen, where Justus Liebig was a professor. In August 1842, Strecker received his PhD and began teaching at a realschule
Realschule
The Realschule is a type of secondary school in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, and Liechtenstein. It has also existed in Croatia , Denmark , Sweden , Hungary and in the Russian Empire .-History:The Realschule was an outgrowth of the rationalism and empiricism of the seventeenth and...
in Darmstadt. He refused one offer to work for Liebig, but in 1846 he accepted another and became Liebig's private assistant at the University of Gießen. Strecker finished his habilitation in 1848 and became a lecturer at the university.
Strecker investigated a wide variety of problems in both organic and inorganic chemistry during his time at Gießen. Examples include the molecular masses of silver
Silver
Silver is a metallic chemical element with the chemical symbol Ag and atomic number 47. A soft, white, lustrous transition metal, it has the highest electrical conductivity of any element and the highest thermal conductivity of any metal...
and carbon
Carbon
Carbon is the chemical element with symbol C and atomic number 6. As a member of group 14 on the periodic table, it is nonmetallic and tetravalent—making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds...
, the reactions of lactic acid
Lactic acid
Lactic acid, also known as milk acid, is a chemical compound that plays a role in various biochemical processes and was first isolated in 1780 by the Swedish chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele. Lactic acid is a carboxylic acid with the chemical formula C3H6O3...
, the decomposition of hippuric acid
Hippuric acid
Hippuric acid is a carboxylic acid found in the urine of horses and other herbivores. Hippuric acid crystallizes in rhombic prisms which are readily soluble in hot water, melt at 187 °C and decompose at about 240 °C...
by nitric acid
Nitric acid
Nitric acid , also known as aqua fortis and spirit of nitre, is a highly corrosive and toxic strong acid.Colorless when pure, older samples tend to acquire a yellow cast due to the accumulation of oxides of nitrogen. If the solution contains more than 86% nitric acid, it is referred to as fuming...
, and the separation of cobalt
Cobalt
Cobalt is a chemical element with symbol Co and atomic number 27. It is found naturally only in chemically combined form. The free element, produced by reductive smelting, is a hard, lustrous, silver-gray metal....
and nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
.
Strecker wanted to leave Gießen for a position at the University of Berlin, but when he heard of an open position at Norway's University of Christiania, he applied for it and in 1851 became a professor there. While in Norway, Strecker focused on organic chemistry, covering a broad range of topics from organometallic chemistry to natural products. Also while in Norway, Strecker returned to Germany for several holidays. During one such visit to Darmstadt, he married on July 3, 1852. His wife died on October 13, 1853; he married a second time on September 29, 1855.
Strecker left Norway on Gmelin's death in 1860 to accept the latter's position at the University of Tübingen. There he conducted research on guanine
Guanine
Guanine is one of the four main nucleobases found in the nucleic acids DNA and RNA, the others being adenine, cytosine, and thymine . In DNA, guanine is paired with cytosine. With the formula C5H5N5O, guanine is a derivative of purine, consisting of a fused pyrimidine-imidazole ring system with...
, xanthine
Xanthine
Xanthine , is a purine base found in most human body tissues and fluids and in other organisms. A number of stimulants are derived from xanthine, including caffeine and theobromine....
, caffeine
Caffeine
Caffeine is a bitter, white crystalline xanthine alkaloid that acts as a stimulant drug. Caffeine is found in varying quantities in the seeds, leaves, and fruit of some plants, where it acts as a natural pesticide that paralyzes and kills certain insects feeding on the plants...
, and theobromine
Theobromine
Theobromine , also known as xantheose, is a bitter alkaloid of the cacao plant, with the chemical formula C7H8N4O2. It is found in chocolate, as well as in a number of other foods, including the leaves of the tea plant, and the kola nut...
, and on the very toxic thallium
Thallium
Thallium is a chemical element with the symbol Tl and atomic number 81. This soft gray poor metal resembles tin but discolors when exposed to air. The two chemists William Crookes and Claude-Auguste Lamy discovered thallium independently in 1861 by the newly developed method of flame spectroscopy...
oxides, which damaged his health severely. He moved to the University of Würzburg
University of Würzburg
The University of Würzburg is a university in Würzburg, Germany, founded in 1402. The university is a member of the distinguished Coimbra Group.-Name:...
in 1870, but his first semester was interrupted by the Franco-Prussian War
Franco-Prussian War
The Franco-Prussian War or Franco-German War, often referred to in France as the 1870 War was a conflict between the Second French Empire and the Kingdom of Prussia. Prussia was aided by the North German Confederation, of which it was a member, and the South German states of Baden, Württemberg and...
of 1870–1871. Strecker became an officer during the war and returned to the university after it, where he started his last semester. In the summer of 1871 he undertook a recreational holiday in Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden
Berchtesgaden is a municipality in the German Bavarian Alps. It is located in the south district of Berchtesgadener Land in Bavaria, near the border with Austria, some 30 km south of Salzburg and 180 km southeast of Munich...
, Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
, but his health began to deteriorate. Strecker died in Würzburg
Würzburg
Würzburg is a city in the region of Franconia which lies in the northern tip of Bavaria, Germany. Located at the Main River, it is the capital of the Regierungsbezirk Lower Franconia. The regional dialect is Franconian....
, where he is buried in the Hauptfriedhof.
Strecker synthesis
The Strecker synthesis of amino acidsStrecker amino acid synthesis
The Strecker amino acid synthesis, devised by Adolph Strecker, is a series of chemical reactions that synthesize an amino acid from an aldehyde . The aldehyde is condensed with ammonium chloride in the presence of potassium cyanide to form an α-aminonitrile, which is subsequently hydrolyzed to give...
involves the reaction of potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide
Potassium cyanide is an inorganic compound with the formula KCN. This colorless crystalline compound, similar in appearance to sugar, is highly soluble in water. Most KCN is used in gold mining, organic synthesis, and electroplating. Smaller applications include jewelry for chemical gilding and...
, ammonium chloride
Ammonium chloride
Ammonium chloride NH4Cl is an inorganic compound with the formula NH4Cl. It is a white crystalline salt that is highly soluble in water. Solutions of ammonium chloride are mildly acidic. Sal ammoniac is a name of natural, mineralogical form of ammonium chloride...
, and an aldehyde to make an alpha amino acid. The reaction can also be run with ammonia, hydrogen cyanide, and an aldehyde.
Also named for Strecker are the Strecker degradation
Strecker degradation
The Strecker degradation is a chemical reaction which converts an α-amino acid into an aldehyde by an imine intermediate. It is named after Adolph Strecker, a German chemist.The original observation by Strecker involved the use of alloxan as the oxidant:...
, which involves the conversion of amino acids into imines and then into ketones, and the Strecker sulfite alkylation.
External links
- Adolph Strecker obituary by Rudolf Wagner from Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft, 1872, part V, pp. 125–131
- Obituary in the Journal of the Chemical Society, 1872, volume 25, p. 353
- Adolph Strecker by B. Lepsius (1892), Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, volume 36, Leipzig: Duncker & Humblot – entry for Strecker
- Adolph Strecker – brief biography and two pictures at Tübingen University
- Strecker degradation – with reactions and references
- Strecker sulfite alkylation – with reactions and references