Roland Scholl
Encyclopedia
Roland Heinrich Scholl (30 September 1865 – 22 August 1945) was a Swiss chemist who taught at various European universities. Among his most notable achievements are the synthesis of coronene
, the co-development of the Bally-Scholl synthesis, and various discoveries about polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
s.
, Switzerland, the son of a Baden
sian merchant. After primary education by a private teacher
and secondary education at a Gymnasium
in Zurich, he studied chemistry
and physics
at the University of Würzburg
in 1883. One of his teachers there was Johannes Wislicenus
, his mother's brother. After military service
in a Bavaria
n regiment
, he continued his studies in 1885 at the Eidgenössisches Polytechnikum in Zurich. In 1890 he received a Dr. phil.
degree from the University of Basel
.
in chemistry at the Polytechnikum as well as at the University of Zurich
. In 1897, he became the assistant director of the chemical laboratory of the Technische Hochschule Karlsruhe (today the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology). After being promoted to associate professor in 1904, he moved to the University of Graz
, where he became full professor in 1907. In 1914, Scholl volunteered
for service in World War I
, and after the end of his service he moved to the Technische Universität Dresden, where he worked as the director of the institute for organic chemistry
until his retirement in 1934.
Suffering from injuries sustained in the Allied
bombing of Dresden
, Roland Scholl died on 22 August 1945 in a refugee camp
on the site of a former military airfield near Mörtitz, a small village in Saxony
.
, disproving the structures of this molecule proposed by August Kekulé and Edward Divers
. He did some research for the Badische Anilin- und Sodafabrik (BASF) in the early 1900s, and began doing research on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
s, especially vat dye
s such as indanthrene
and flavanthrene, in 1903. Among other things, Scholl developed a method for the synthesis of pyranthron, the first nitrogen- and sulfur-free vat dye.
Scholl was one of the first persons to use the microbalance
developed by Fritz Pregl
, the father of microanalysis
, who was a close collaborator of Scholl. In 1911, Roland Scholl and Oscar Bally published an article on the synthesis of benzanthrone
by condensation
of anthraquinone
with glycerol
, a process that would later be called the Bally-Scholl synthesis. In 1932, Scholl was the first person to synthesise coronene.
Over the course of his career, Scholl published about 180 scientific articles. He became a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
in 1916, of the Saxony Academy of Science in 1920, and of the Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft as well as the Chemische Gesellschaft Karlsruhe in 1930. In 1944 he was awarded the Goethe-Medaille für Kunst und Wissenschaft
.
Coronene
Coronene is a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon comprising six peri-fused benzene rings. Its chemical formula is . It is a yellow material that dissolves in such solvents as benzene, toluene, and dichloromethane. Its solutions emit blue light fluorescence under UV light...
, the co-development of the Bally-Scholl synthesis, and various discoveries about polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , also known as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, are potent atmospheric pollutants that consist of fused aromatic rings and do not contain heteroatoms or carry substituents. Naphthalene is the simplest example of a PAH...
s.
Early life and education
Roland Heinrich Scholl was born born on 30 September 1865 in ZurichZürich
Zurich is the largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is located in central Switzerland at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich...
, Switzerland, the son of a Baden
Baden
Baden is a historical state on the east bank of the Rhine in the southwest of Germany, now the western part of the Baden-Württemberg of Germany....
sian merchant. After primary education by a private teacher
Homeschooling
Homeschooling or homeschool is the education of children at home, typically by parents but sometimes by tutors, rather than in other formal settings of public or private school...
and secondary education at a Gymnasium
Gymnasium (school)
A gymnasium is a type of school providing secondary education in some parts of Europe, comparable to English grammar schools or sixth form colleges and U.S. college preparatory high schools. The word γυμνάσιον was used in Ancient Greece, meaning a locality for both physical and intellectual...
in Zurich, he studied chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
and physics
Physics
Physics is a natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion through spacetime, along with related concepts such as energy and force. More broadly, it is the general analysis of nature, conducted in order to understand how the universe behaves.Physics is one of the oldest academic...
at 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 1883. One of his teachers there was Johannes Wislicenus
Johannes Wislicenus
Johannes Wislicenus was a German chemist, most famous for his work in early stereochemistry.-Biography:...
, his mother's brother. After military service
Military service
Military service, in its simplest sense, is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, whether as a chosen job or as a result of an involuntary draft . Some nations require a specific amount of military service from every citizen...
in a 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...
n regiment
Regiment
A regiment is a major tactical military unit, composed of variable numbers of batteries, squadrons or battalions, commanded by a colonel or lieutenant colonel...
, he continued his studies in 1885 at the Eidgenössisches Polytechnikum in Zurich. In 1890 he received a Dr. phil.
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree from the University of Basel
University of Basel
The University of Basel is located in Basel, Switzerland, and is considered to be one of leading universities in the country...
.
Life and career
In 1893, Roland Scholl became PrivatdozentPrivatdozent
Privatdozent or Private lecturer is a title conferred in some European university systems, especially in German-speaking countries, for someone who pursues an academic career and holds all formal qualifications to become a tenured university professor...
in chemistry at the Polytechnikum as well as at the University of Zurich
University of Zurich
The University of Zurich , located in the city of Zurich, is the largest university in Switzerland, with over 25,000 students. It was founded in 1833 from the existing colleges of theology, law, medicine and a new faculty of philosophy....
. In 1897, he became the assistant director of the chemical laboratory of the Technische Hochschule Karlsruhe (today the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology). After being promoted to associate professor in 1904, he moved to the University of Graz
University of Graz
The University of Graz , a university located in Graz, Austria, is the second-largest and second-oldest university in Austria....
, where he became full professor in 1907. In 1914, Scholl volunteered
Military volunteer
A military volunteer is a person who enlists in military service by free will, and is not a mercenary or a foreign legionaire. Volunteers often enlist to fight in the armed forces of a foreign country. Military volunteers are essential for the operation of volunteer militaries.Many armies,...
for service in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, and after the end of his service he moved to the Technische Universität Dresden, where he worked as the director of the institute for organic chemistry
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline within chemistry involving the scientific study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-based compounds, hydrocarbons, and their derivatives...
until his retirement in 1934.
Suffering from injuries sustained in the Allied
Allies of World War II
The Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . Former Axis states contributing to the Allied victory are not considered Allied states...
bombing of Dresden
Bombing of Dresden in World War II
The Bombing of Dresden was a military bombing by the British Royal Air Force and the United States Army Air Force and as part of the Allied forces between 13 February and 15 February 1945 in the Second World War...
, Roland Scholl died on 22 August 1945 in a refugee camp
Refugee camp
A refugee camp is a temporary settlement built to receive refugees. Hundreds of thousands of people may live in any one single camp. Usually they are built and run by a government, the United Nations, or international organizations, or NGOs.Refugee camps are generally set up in an impromptu...
on the site of a former military airfield near Mörtitz, a small village in Saxony
Saxony
The Free State of Saxony is a landlocked state of Germany, contingent with Brandenburg, Saxony Anhalt, Thuringia, Bavaria, the Czech Republic and Poland. It is the tenth-largest German state in area, with of Germany's sixteen states....
.
Research
Scholl made a name for himself in the scientific community at a young age through publications on the chemistry of fulminic acidFulminic acid
Fulminic acid is a compound with a molecular formula HCNO. This substance was discovered in 1824 by Justus von Liebig. It is an organic acid and an isomer of isocyanic acid, discovered one year later by Friedrich Woehler....
, disproving the structures of this molecule proposed by August Kekulé and Edward Divers
Edward Divers
Edward Divers FRS was a British experimental chemist who rose to prominence despite being visually impaired from young age. Between 1873 and 1899, Divers lived and worked in Japan and significantly contributed to the science and education of that country.-Biography:Divers was born in London and...
. He did some research for the Badische Anilin- und Sodafabrik (BASF) in the early 1900s, and began doing research on polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon
Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons , also known as poly-aromatic hydrocarbons or polynuclear aromatic hydrocarbons, are potent atmospheric pollutants that consist of fused aromatic rings and do not contain heteroatoms or carry substituents. Naphthalene is the simplest example of a PAH...
s, especially vat dye
Vat dye
Vat dyes are an ancient class of dyes, based on the natural dye, indigo, which is now produced synthetically.-Overview:The process "vat dyeing" refers to dyeing in a bucket or vat. It can be performed whenever a liquid, even shade over the entire garment is desired. Almost any dye can be used,...
s such as indanthrene
Indanthrene blue RS
Indanthrene blue RS is a synthetic anthraquinone dye. It has the appearance of blue needles with metallic lustre and melting point of 470-500 °C...
and flavanthrene, in 1903. Among other things, Scholl developed a method for the synthesis of pyranthron, the first nitrogen- and sulfur-free vat dye.
Scholl was one of the first persons to use the microbalance
Microbalance
A microbalance is an instrument capable of making precise measurements of weight of objects of relatively small mass: of the order of a million parts of a gram. In comparison, a standard analytical balance is 100 times less sensitive; i.e. it is limited in precision to 0.1 milligrams...
developed by Fritz Pregl
Fritz Pregl
Fritz Pregl , was an Austrian chemist and physician from a mixed Slovene-German-speaking background...
, the father of microanalysis
Microanalysis
Microanalysis is the chemical identification and quantitative analysis of very small amounts of chemical substances or very small surfaces of material...
, who was a close collaborator of Scholl. In 1911, Roland Scholl and Oscar Bally published an article on the synthesis of benzanthrone
Benzanthrone
Benzanthrone is an aromatic hydrocarbon derivate used as a dyestuff intermediate for anthraquinone-based dyes. It has the appearance of a light yellow to brown-green powder with melting point of 170 °C. It is insoluble in water and soluble in alcohol. It is a basic substance with fluorescent and...
by condensation
Condensation reaction
A condensation reaction is a chemical reaction in which two molecules or moieties combine to form one single molecule, together with the loss of a small molecule. When this small molecule is water, it is known as a dehydration reaction; other possible small molecules lost are hydrogen chloride,...
of anthraquinone
Anthraquinone
Anthraquinone, also called anthracenedione or dioxoanthracene is an aromatic organic compound with formula . Several isomers are possible, each of which can be viewed as a quinone derivative...
with glycerol
Glycerol
Glycerol is a simple polyol compound. It is a colorless, odorless, viscous liquid that is widely used in pharmaceutical formulations. Glycerol has three hydroxyl groups that are responsible for its solubility in water and its hygroscopic nature. The glycerol backbone is central to all lipids...
, a process that would later be called the Bally-Scholl synthesis. In 1932, Scholl was the first person to synthesise coronene.
Over the course of his career, Scholl published about 180 scientific articles. He became a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences
Austrian Academy of Sciences
The Austrian Academy of Sciences is a legal entity under the special protection of the Federal Republic of Austria. According to the statutes of the Academy its mission is to promote the sciences and humanities in every respect and in every field, particularly in fundamental research...
in 1916, of the Saxony Academy of Science in 1920, and of the Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft as well as the Chemische Gesellschaft Karlsruhe in 1930. In 1944 he was awarded the Goethe-Medaille für Kunst und Wissenschaft
Goethe-Medaille für Kunst und Wissenschaft
The Goethe-Medaille für Kunst und Wissenschaft was a German award. It was authorized by Reichspresident Paul von Hindenburg to commemorate the centenary of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's death on March 22, 1932...
.