Hugo Schiff
Encyclopedia
Hugo Schiff (26 April 1834 – 8 September 1915) was a German
Chemist
. He discovered Schiff base
s and other imine
s, and was responsible for research into aldehyde
s and had the Schiff test
named after him. He also worked in the field of amino acid
s and the Biuret reagent.
Born in Frankfurt am Main, Schiff was a student of Friedrich Wöhler
in Göttingen
. He completed his dissertation (Über einige Naphthyl- und Phenylderivate) also supervised by Wöhler in 1857. In the same year, due to political turmoil, Schiff left Germany in 1857 for Switzerland
and the University of Bern. He was a supporter of socialism and reportedly corresponded with Karl Marx
and Friedrich Engels
. He also was a cofounder of the socialist Italian newspaper L'Avanti
in 1894.
Schiff moved to Italy in 1863 holding positions in Pisa and then Florence (Museo di Storia Naturale). In 1870 he cofounded the Gazzetta Chimica Italiana
together with Stanislao Cannizzaro
. In 1877 he became Professor of General Chemistry in Turin
and
returned to Florence in 1879 as Professor of General Chemistry at what later would become the University of Florence
where he founded the Chemical Institute of the University of Florence. Schiff died in Florence
.
In the University of Florence
the Hugo Schiff International Store House still exists today.
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 discovered Schiff base
Schiff base
A Schiff base, named after Hugo Schiff, is a compound with a functional group that contains a carbon-nitrogen double bond with the nitrogen atom connected to an aryl or alkyl group, not hydrogen....
s and other imine
Imine
An imine is a functional group or chemical compound containing a carbon–nitrogen double bond, with the nitrogen attached to a hydrogen atom or an organic group. If this group is not a hydrogen atom, then the compound is known as a Schiff base...
s, and was responsible for research into aldehyde
Aldehyde
An aldehyde is an organic compound containing a formyl group. This functional group, with the structure R-CHO, consists of a carbonyl center bonded to hydrogen and an R group....
s and had the Schiff test
Schiff test
The Schiff test invented and named after Hugo Schiff is a chemical test for the detection of aldehydes. An unknown sample is added to the decolorized Schiff reagent and when aldehyde is present a characteristic magenta or purple color develops. The Schiff reagent is the reaction product of...
named after him. He also worked in the field of amino acid
Amino acid
Amino acids are molecules containing an amine group, a carboxylic acid group and a side-chain that varies between different amino acids. The key elements of an amino acid are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen...
s and the Biuret reagent.
Born in Frankfurt am Main, Schiff was a student of Friedrich Wöhler
Friedrich Wöhler
Friedrich Wöhler was a German chemist, best known for his synthesis of urea, but also the first to isolate several chemical elements.-Biography:He was born in Eschersheim, which belonged to aau...
in Göttingen
Göttingen
Göttingen is a university town in Lower Saxony, Germany. It is the capital of the district of Göttingen. The Leine river runs through the town. In 2006 the population was 129,686.-General information:...
. He completed his dissertation (Über einige Naphthyl- und Phenylderivate) also supervised by Wöhler in 1857. In the same year, due to political turmoil, Schiff left Germany in 1857 for Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
and the University of Bern. He was a supporter of socialism and reportedly corresponded with Karl Marx
Karl Marx
Karl Heinrich Marx was a German philosopher, economist, sociologist, historian, journalist, and revolutionary socialist. His ideas played a significant role in the development of social science and the socialist political movement...
and Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels
Friedrich Engels was a German industrialist, social scientist, author, political theorist, philosopher, and father of Marxist theory, alongside Karl Marx. In 1845 he published The Condition of the Working Class in England, based on personal observations and research...
. He also was a cofounder of the socialist Italian newspaper L'Avanti
Avanti! (Italian newspaper)
Avanti! is an Italian daily newspaper, born as the official voice of the Italian Socialist Party, published since December 25, 1896. It took its name from its German counterpart Vorwärts.-History:...
in 1894.
Schiff moved to Italy in 1863 holding positions in Pisa and then Florence (Museo di Storia Naturale). In 1870 he cofounded the Gazzetta Chimica Italiana
Gazzetta Chimica Italiana
The Gazzetta Chimica Italiana is an Italian peer-reviewed scientific journal in chemistry. It was first published 1871 by the Società Chimica Italiana, but in 1998 publication ceased and it was merged, together with some other European chemistry-related journals, to form the European Journal of...
together with Stanislao Cannizzaro
Stanislao Cannizzaro
Stanislao Cannizzaro, FRS was an Italian chemist. He is remembered today largely for the Cannizzaro reaction and for his influential role in the atomic-weight deliberations of the Karlsruhe Congress in 1860.-Biography:...
. In 1877 he became Professor of General Chemistry in Turin
Turin
Turin is a city and major business and cultural centre in northern Italy, capital of the Piedmont region, located mainly on the left bank of the Po River and surrounded by the Alpine arch. The population of the city proper is 909,193 while the population of the urban area is estimated by Eurostat...
and
returned to Florence in 1879 as Professor of General Chemistry at what later would become the University of Florence
University of Florence
The University of Florence is a higher study institute in Florence, central Italy. One of the largest and oldest universities in the country, it consists of 12 faculties...
where he founded the Chemical Institute of the University of Florence. Schiff died in Florence
Florence
Florence is the capital city of the Italian region of Tuscany and of the province of Florence. It is the most populous city in Tuscany, with approximately 370,000 inhabitants, expanding to over 1.5 million in the metropolitan area....
.
In the University of Florence
University of Florence
The University of Florence is a higher study institute in Florence, central Italy. One of the largest and oldest universities in the country, it consists of 12 faculties...
the Hugo Schiff International Store House still exists today.