Justus von Liebig
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Justus von Liebig. |
Freiherr Justus von Liebig (
May 12,
1803 in
Darmstadt,
Germany –
April 18,
1873 in
Munich,
Germany) was a German
chemist who made major contributions to
agricultural and
biological chemistry, and worked on the organization of
organic chemistry. As a
professor, he devised the modern
laboratory-oriented teaching method, and for such innovations, he is regarded as one of the greatest chemistry teachers of all time. He is known as the "father of the
fertilizer industry" for his discovery of
nitrogen as an essential
plant nutrient, and his formulation of the
Law of the Minimum which described the effect of individual nutrients on crops. He also developed a manufacturing process for
beef extract, and founded a company that later
trademarked the
Oxo brand beef
bouillon cube.
Liebig was expelled from his
grammar school for detonating an
explosive device he had made at home from chemicals obtained from his father's
drysaltery business. He was apprenticed to an
apothecary in
Heppenheim.
Liebig attended the
University of Bonn, studying under
Karl Wilhelm Gottlob Kastner. When Kastner moved to the
University of Erlangen, Liebig followed him and received his doctorate there in 1822. He then obtained a grant from the
Hessian government to study in
Paris. Through the influence of
Alexander von Humboldt, he was able to work in the private
laboratory of
Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac.
In 1824 at the age of 21, Liebig became a
professor at the
University of Giessen. He also taught at the
University of Munich from 1852 to 1873. He became Freiherr (baron) in 1845.
He founded and edited from 1832 the journal
Annalen der Chemie, which became the leading German-language journal of Chemistry. The volumes from his lifetime are often referenced just as
Liebigs Annalen; and following his death the title was officially changed to
Justus Liebigs Annalen der Chemie.
Liebig improved organic analysis. He downplayed the role of
humus in plant
nutrition and discovered that plants feed on
nitrogen compounds and
carbon dioxide derived from the air, as well as on
minerals in the
soil. One of his most recognized and far-reaching accomplishments was the invention of nitrogen-based
fertilizer. He also formulated the
Law of the Minimum, stating that a plant's development is limited by the one essential mineral that is in the relatively shortest supply, visualized as "Liebig's barrel". This concept is a qualitative version of the principles used to determine the application of fertilizer in modern agriculture.
He was also one of the first chemists to organize a laboratory as we know it today. The vapor condensation device he popularized for his research is still known as a
Liebig condenser, although it was in common use long before Liebig's research began.
In 1835 he invented a process for
silvering that greatly improved the utility of
mirrors.
Liebig is also credited with the notion that "
searing meat seals in the juices."
[ Page 161, "The Searing Question".] This idea, still widely believed, is not true.
Working with
Belgian engineer George Giebert, Liebig devised an efficient method of producing beef extract from carcasses. In 1865, they founded the
Liebig Extract of Meat Company, marketing the extract as a cheap, nutritious alternative to real
meat. Some years after Liebig's death, in 1899, the product was trademarked "Oxo".
The
University of Giessen today is officially named after him,
"Justus-Liebig-Universität-Giessen".
Organic Chemistry in its Application to Agriculture and Physiology (1840)
Organic Chemistry in its Application to Physiology and Pathology (1842)
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History of Soil Science*
List of chemists
