1. v. Baeyer, A.; Villiger, V. Ber. 1899, 32, 3625-3633. Adolf von Baeyer (1835-1917) was one of the most illustrious organic chemists in history. He contributed to many areas of the field. The Baeyer-Drewson indigo synthesis made possible the commercialization of synthetic indigo. Another one of Baeyer’s claim of fame is his synthesis of barbituric acid, named after his then girlfriend, Barbara. Baeyer’s real joy was in his laboratory and he deplored any outside work that took him away from his bench. When a visitor expressed envy that fortune had blessed so much of Baeyer’s work with success, Baeyer retorted dryly: “Herr Kollege, I experiment more than you.” As a scientist, Baeyer was free of vanity. Unlike other scholastic masters of his time (Liebig for instance), he was always ready to acknowledge ungrudgingly the merits of others. Baeyer’s famous greenish-black hat was a part of his perpetual wardrobe and he had a ritual of tipping his hat when he admired novel compounds. Adolf von Baeyer received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1905 at age seventy. His apprentice, Emil Fischer, won it in 1902 when he was fifty, three years before his teacher. Victor Villiger (1868-1934), born in Switzerland, went to Munich and worked with Adolf von Baeyer for eleven years.
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