The following is a short essay (yes, believe it or not I consider it a short essay) that I (Rebekah) wrote. My intentions are to allow homeschoolers an opportunity to view a formally written essay, and to help inquisitive readers learn more about Otto Wallach, the Nobel Prize recipient for chemistry in 1910.
Written on November 21,
2012
by Rebekah Pena
The
Life and Work of the Jewish Chemist: Otto Wallach
Throughout
history, the Jewish people have played an immense role in the advancement and
development of modern science. In fact, in
chemistry alone, approximately twenty percent of Nobel Prize laureates have
been of Jewish descent. As a result, it
is no surprise to learn that the German Chemist, Otto Wallach,who won the Nobel
Prize for chemistry in 1910 (a single award), was indeed a Jew: it was his hard
work with alicyclic compounds which brought about such recognition, and there
is no doubt his scientific contributions ultimately culminated in the industrial
production of camphor and synthetic perfumes (Chemistry). It is of significant remark, however, that although
Wallach was of Jewish descent, his father’s family had beforehand converted to
Lutheranism and his mother was not Jewish but an ethnic German Protestant
(Personal Profile). Hence, perhaps it is
safe to assert that Wallach must also have considered himself Protestant.
From
a very young age, Otto Wallach became fascinated with chemistry and historical
art—two disciplines he pursued fervently throughout his life. His professional studies in chemistry began
at the University of Göttingen in the beginning of 1867; by 1869, he had
achieved his doctorate in chemistry. Wallach’s
doctoral dissertation concerned the several isomers of toluene. Toluene, one of the many products derived
from the distillation of coal, is often used as a solvent in the production of fragrances.Thus,
it was Wallach’s doctoral studies which equipped him for future investigations (Otto
Wallach Notable Scientists).
Subsequent
to his graduation, Wallach went on to work as a professor at the University of
Bonn, where he assisted the renowned German scientist, August Kekulé, who was
responsible for the discovery of the structural formula of benzene (a coal
product similar to toluene). In 1879,
Wallach was appointed to teach pharmacy; however, he had limited knowledge of essential
oils utilized in medicines, and decided to conduct research in order to develop
a better understanding. Fortunately,
after retirement, Kekulé had left abandoned samples of essential oils which he
had felt were too complex to analyze. Wallach,being an incredibly persistent
researcher, went through the elaborate undertaking of distilling and
redistilling each sample. By 1881, he had successfully discovered eight unique
(and yet similar) fragrant substances which he ultimately termed “terpenes”.
Some common examples of naturally occurring terpenes are rose oil, peppermint, and
menthol (Otto Wallach World of Chemistry).
Wallach
continued working with colleagues on synthesizing new and analogous compounds,
and by 1887, Wallach discovered that these terpenes resulted from a multiple of
isoprene units (precise arrangements of five carbon rings) (Otto Wallach World
of Scientific Discovery). In 1889, Otto Wallach was eventually (and inevitably)
appointed director of the Chemical Institute at the University of Göttingen; there,
he continued his work concerning the molecular structure of essential oils and
in 1909 published his consequent deductions in Terpene und Campher (Otto Wallach Jewish VirtualLibrary.) Flowing his publication, he was awarded
the Nobel Prize in chemistry for his groundbreaking work with acyclic compounds
in 1910, and continued to be recognized in subsequent years: the Davy Medal in
Gold and Silver (in 1912), and the Königlicher Kronorden II. Klasse (in 1915)
are only a few examples of the many awards he later received (Otto
Wallach – Biography).
In conclusion, one must
not overlook the immense significance Otto Wallach’s contributions have played
in modern chemistry. In the words of the
Nobel Committee, Wallach was awarded the Nobel Prize "in recognition of
his services to organic chemistry and the chemical industry by his pioneer work
in the field of alicyclic compounds"(The Nobel Prize). Otto Wallach’s
discoveries eventually spawned the inquisitiveness and exploration of
successive researchers who ultimately developed new and innovative ways of
utilizing terpenes in medicines, flavorings, and perfumes. The knowledge of terpenes in essential oils unequivocally
transformed the face of the fragrance industry—guard against falsification was
now systematically possible. Otto Wallach continued his work until eighty years
of age, and died a bachelor in 1931, one month prior to his eighty-fourth
birthday (Otto Wallach World of Chemistry).
Overall, it becomes apparent that Wallach’s life work was more than
revolutionary in the field of modern chemistry.
.
Works
Cited
"Chemistry."EncyclopaediaJudaica.Ed.
Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik.2nd ed. Vol. 4. Detroit: Macmillan Reference
USA, 2007. 592-593. Gale World History In Context. Web. 17 Nov. 2012.
"Otto Wallach – Biography."
Nobelprize.org. 19 Nov 2012
"Otto Wallach."Notable
Scientists from 1900 to the Present.Ed. Brigham Narins. Detroit: Gale
Group, 2008. Gale Biography In Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
“Otto Wallach.”Jewishvirtuallibrary.org. 2012. Web. 17 November 2012.
"Otto Wallach."World of
Chemistry.Gale, 2006.Gale Biography In Context. Web. 18 Nov. 2012.
“Personal Profile – Otto Wallach.”Jewage.org. Web. 17 November 2012.
"The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1910".Nobelprize.org. 19 Nov 2012
