Heinrich Caro
Encyclopedia
Heinrich Caro was a German
chemist
.
He started his study of chemistry at the Friedrich Wilhelms University
and later chemistry and dyeing in Berlin
at the Royal Trades Institute. On the initiative of Nicolaus Druckenmüller, he trained as a calico
printer in Germany, worked at Troost's calico printing works in Mülheim
and then worked at the chemical firm Roberts, Dale in Manchester. During this time he improved the analysis of madder lake. After he returned to Germany he conducted his military service in 1857 and 1858. He worked in the laboratory of Jaques Meyer the father of Victor Meyer in Berlin. In 1858 he was able to return to Mühlheim where he was not able to conduct his work. He joined the chemical firm Roberts, Dale in Manchester which he knew from his former visit.
During his time in England he improved the extraction of Mauveine
from the residues of the synthesis and developed a synthesis for aniline red and other dyes.
In 1861 Caro returned to Germany and stayed at the laboratory of Robert Bunsen
until he joined the Chemische Fabrik Dyckerhoff Clemm & Co. This chemical company later became BASF
.
Caro was responsible for indigo research at BASF and he and Adolf von Baeyer
synthesised the first indigo dye
in 1878. Caro also patented the dye alizarin
on behalf of BASF. He was the first to isolate acridine
and "Caro's acid" (peroxymonosulfuric acid
) is named after him.
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...
.
He started his study of chemistry at the Friedrich Wilhelms University
Humboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
and later chemistry and dyeing in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
at the Royal Trades Institute. On the initiative of Nicolaus Druckenmüller, he trained as a calico
Calico (fabric)
Calico is a plain-woven textile made from unbleached, and often not fully processed, cotton. It may contain unseparated husk parts, for example. The fabric is less coarse and thick than canvas or denim, but owing to its unfinished and undyed appearance, it is still very cheap. Originally from the...
printer in Germany, worked at Troost's calico printing works in Mülheim
Mülheim
Mülheim an der Ruhr, also called "City on the River", is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It is located in the Ruhr Area between Duisburg, Essen, Oberhausen and Ratingen...
and then worked at the chemical firm Roberts, Dale in Manchester. During this time he improved the analysis of madder lake. After he returned to Germany he conducted his military service in 1857 and 1858. He worked in the laboratory of Jaques Meyer the father of Victor Meyer in Berlin. In 1858 he was able to return to Mühlheim where he was not able to conduct his work. He joined the chemical firm Roberts, Dale in Manchester which he knew from his former visit.
During his time in England he improved the extraction of Mauveine
Mauveine
Mauveine, also known as aniline purple and Perkin's mauve, was the first synthetic organic chemical dye.Its chemical name is3-amino-2,±9-dimethyl-5-phenyl-7-phenazinium acetate...
from the residues of the synthesis and developed a synthesis for aniline red and other dyes.
In 1861 Caro returned to Germany and stayed at the laboratory of Robert Bunsen
Robert Bunsen
Robert Wilhelm Eberhard Bunsen was a German chemist. He investigated emission spectra of heated elements, and discovered caesium and rubidium with Gustav Kirchhoff. Bunsen developed several gas-analytical methods, was a pioneer in photochemistry, and did early work in the field of organoarsenic...
until he joined the Chemische Fabrik Dyckerhoff Clemm & Co. This chemical company later became BASF
BASF
BASF SE is the largest chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Germany. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...
.
Caro was responsible for indigo research at BASF and he and Adolf von Baeyer
Adolf von Baeyer
Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer was a German chemist who synthesized indigo, and was the 1905 recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Born in Berlin, he initially studied mathematics and physics at Berlin University before moving to Heidelberg to study chemistry with Robert Bunsen...
synthesised the first indigo dye
Indigo dye
Indigo dye is an organic compound with a distinctive blue color . Historically, indigo was a natural dye extracted from plants, and this process was important economically because blue dyes were once rare. Nearly all indigo dye produced today — several thousand tons each year — is synthetic...
in 1878. Caro also patented the dye alizarin
Alizarin
Alizarin or 1,2-dihydroxyanthraquinone is an organic compound with formula that has been used throughout history as a prominent dye, originally derived from the roots of plants of the madder genus.Alizarin was used as a red dye for the English parliamentary "new model" army...
on behalf of BASF. He was the first to isolate acridine
Acridine
Acridine, C13H9N, is an organic compound and a nitrogen heterocycle. Acridine is also used to describe compounds containing the C13N tricycle....
and "Caro's acid" (peroxymonosulfuric acid
Peroxymonosulfuric acid
Peroxymonosulfuric acid, also known as persulfuric acid, peroxysulfuric acid, or as Caro's acid, is H2SO5, a liquid at room temperature. In this acid, the S center adopts its characteristic tetrahedral geometry; the connectivity is indicated by the formula HO-O-S2-OH...
) is named after him.
See also
- Nikodem CaroNikodem CaroNikodem Caro was an industrial chemist and entrepreneur. Caro was born in Łódź, and studied chemistry in Berlin at the Royal Technical College of Charlottenburg and got his doctorate from Rostock University...
, co-inventor of the Frank-Caro processFrank-Caro processThe Frank–Caro process, also called cyanamide process, is the nitrogen fixation reaction of calcium carbide and nitrogen gas in an electric furnace heated at about 1,000°C. The synthesis produces calcium cyanamide and carbon.-History:...
to produce calcium cyanamideCalcium cyanamideCalcium cyanamide or CaCN2 is a calcium compound used as fertilizer, first synthesized in 1898 by Adolph Frank and Nikodem Caro . It is formed when calcium carbide reacts with nitrogen. It is commercially known as Nitrolime.... - Linde-Frank-Caro processLinde-Frank-Caro processThe Linde-Frank-Caro process is a method for hydrogen production by removing hydrogen and carbon dioxide from water gas by condensation. The process was invented in 1909 by Adolf Frank and developed with Carl von Linde and Heinrich Caro..-Process description:...
, a method to produce hydrogen from water gasWater gasWater gas is a synthesis gas, containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen. It is a useful product but requires careful handling because of the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. The gas is made by passing steam over a red-hot hydrocarbon fuel such as coke:...