Hermann Staudinger | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 23 March 1881 |
| Died | 8 September 1965 (aged 84) |
| Alma mater | Technische Universität Darmstadt, University of Halle |
| Known for | Ketenes Polymer chemistry Staudinger coupling Staudinger reaction Staudinger synthesis |
| Spouse | Magda Staudinger (née Woit) |
| Awards | Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1953) Rudolf Diesel Medal (1962) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Organic and Polymer chemistry |
| Institutions | University of Strasbourg University of Karlsruhe ETH Zürich University of Freiburg |
| Thesis | Anlagerung des Malonesters an ungesättigte Verbindungen (1903) |
| Doctoral advisor | Daniel Vorländer |
| Doctoral students | Werner Kern Tadeusz Reichstein Leopold Ružička Rudolf Signer |
Hermann Staudinger (German pronunciation: [ˈhɛʁman ˈʃtaʊ̯dɪŋɐ] ; 23 March 1881 – 8 September 1965) was a German organic chemist who demonstrated the existence of macromolecules, which he characterized as polymers. For this work he received the 1953 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
He is also known for his discovery of ketenes and of the Staudinger reaction. Staudinger, together with Leopold Ružička, also elucidated the molecular structures of pyrethrin I and II in the 1920s, enabling the development of pyrethroid insecticides in the 1960s and 1970s.