(Adolph Wilhelm) Hermann Kolbe

Scientist, born near Göttingen, C Germany. He studied chemistry under Wöhler and Bunsen, succeeded Bunsen as professor at Marburg (1851), and moved to Leipzig (1865–84). An outstanding teacher and experimenter, he did much in the development of organic chemical theory, and was one of the first to synthesize an organic compound from inorganic materials.

Adolph Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe (September 27, 1818 – November 25, 1884) was a chemist.

Kolbe was born in Elliehausen near Hanover, Germany.

He became an assistant to Robert Wilhelm Bunsen at the University of Marburg in 1842, after studying chemistry with Friedrich Wöhler. Subsequently he assisted Lyon Playfair at the University of London and from 1847 to 1851 was engaged in editing the Handwörterbuch der reinen und angewandten Chemie (Dictionary of Pure and Applied Chemistry) written by Justus von Liebig and Wöhler.

At that time, it was believed that organic and inorganic compounds are independent from each other, and that organic compounds could be created only by living organisms.

He worked on the electrolysis of the salts of fatty and other acids (Kolbe electrolysis) and prepared salicylic acid, a building block of aspirin in a process called Kolbe synthesis or Kolbe-Schmitt reaction.

With Edward Frankland he found that nitriles can be hydrolyzed to the corresponding acids.

He died in Leipzig, Germany.