Vol. 10 No. 1 (2026)
Research Articles

Carl Schorlemmer (1834-1892) – The Red Chemist

PDF
  • Juergen Heinrich Maar
Juergen Heinrich Maar
Independent researcher. Retired professor from the Department of Chemistry at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, SC, Brazil
Bio
DOI: https://doi.org/10.36253/Substantia-3545

Published 2026-01-20

Keywords

  • History of Chemistry,
  • Organic Chemistry,
  • Carl Schorlemmer,
  • Alkanes,
  • Historiography of Chemistry,
  • Chemistry and Socialism
    • ...More
    Less

How to Cite

Maar, J. H. (2026). Carl Schorlemmer (1834-1892) – The Red Chemist. Substantia, 10(1), 63–76. https://doi.org/10.36253/Substantia-3545

Copyright (c) 2026 Juergen Heinrich Maar

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Crossref
Scopus
Google Scholar
Europe PMC

Abstract

This article presents the life and work of Carl Schorlemmer, one of the least remembered chemists in Organic Chemistry from the second half of the 19th century. His decisive investigation of alkanes as a basis for an organization of Organic Chemistry, other experimental investigations, his theoretical points of view, his activity as a historian of Chemistry and his relations with socialism are discussed.

PDF

References

  1. 1.Roscoe, H., “Carl Schorlemmer, LLD., FRS”, Nature, N° 1191, vol. 46, 23rd August
  2. 1892.
  3. 2. Dixon, H., “Memoir on the late Carl Schorlemmer, LLE., F.R.D., F.C.S”, Memoirs
  4. and Proceedings of the Manchester Literary and Philosophical Society”, 7, 191-198
  5. (1893).
  6. 3. Spiegel, A. “Carl Schorlemmer”, Berichte, 25, 1106-1123 (1892).
  7. 4. Engels, F., “Carl Schorlemmer. Obituary”, in Vorwärts, n° 143 (3 July 1892), in
  8. Marx, K., Engels, F., “Werke”, volume 22, Dietz Verlag, Berlin, 1972. Online:
  9. www.mlwerke/me/me22/313htm313-315.
  10. 5. Eyler, J., “The Conversion of Angus Smith: the changing role of Chemistry and
  11. Biology in Sanitary Science 1850-1880”, Bulletin of the History of Medicine, 54,
  12. 216-234 (1980).
  13. 6. Anonymous, “The Schorlemmer Memorial Laboratory”, Nature, n° 1333, 16 May
  14. 1895.
  15. 7. Schorlemmer, C., “Rise and Development of Organic Chemistry”, E. Cornish,
  16. Manchester, 1879, Chapter VIII.
  17. 8. Schorlemmer, C., “Über die Identität des Aethylwasserstoffs und des Methyls”,
  18. Annalen, 132, 234-238 (1864).
  19. 9. Schorlemmer, C., Proceed. Lit. Phil. Soc. Manchester, 13 March 1863.
  20. 10. Berthelot, M., Compt. Rend., 14, 976
  21. 11. . Schorlemmer, C., ”On the Hydrides of the Alcohol-radicles existing in the
  22. Products of the Destructive Distillation of Cannel Oil”, Chem. Soc. Jour., 15, 419-
  23. 427.
  24. 12. Schorlemmer, C., “On the Derivatives of Hydride of Heptyl”, Chem. Soc. Jour., 15,
  25. 216-221 (1862).
  26. 13. Müller, H., Chem. Soc. Jour., 15, 41 (1863). . Schorlemmer, C., “On the action of
  27. Chlorine upon methyl”, Roy. Soc. Proc., 1864, 225
  28. 14; Schorlemmer, C., “On the identity of methyl and hydride of ethyl”, Chem. Soc.
  29. Jour., 16, 262-265. (1864)
  30. 15. Schorlemmer C., “The Amyl Compounds derived from petroleum, Royal Soc. Proc.,
  31. 1867, 131-132
  32. 16. Schorlemmer, C., ”Research on the Hydrocarbons of the series CnH2n+2. IV.”, Proc.
  33. Roy. Soc., 1868, 367-372.
  34. 17. Kopp, H., “Über die Siedepunkte einiger isomerer Verbindungen und über
  35. Siedepunktsregelmässigkeit überhaupt”, Annalen, 55, 166-200 (1845).
  36. 18. Krafft, F., “Über die Isolierung der höheren Normalparaffine aus Braunkohlenteer”,
  37. Berichte, 21, 2256-2265 (1888).
  38. 19. . Schorlemmer, C., “On a new series of hydrocarbons derived from coal tar”, Roy.
  39. Soc. Proc., 1866, 132-136.
  40. 20. Cahours, A., Pelouze, T., “Recherches sur les Pétroles d’Amérique”, Compt.
  41. Rendus, 56, 505-513 (1863).
  42. 21. Schorlemmer, C., “On the chemical constitution of American rock oil”, Proc.
  43. Manchester Lit. Phi. Soc., 3, 80-85 (1862/1863). Schorlemmer, C., “Notiz über
  44. amerikanisches Steinöl”, Zeitschrift für Chemie, 8, 242-243 (1865).
  45. 22. Schorlemmer, C., “On the Normal Paraffins”, Philosophical Transactions of the
  46. Royal Society of London, 162, 111-123 (1872); 169, 49-53 (1878); 171, 451-454
  47. (1880). Schorlemmer, C., Thorpe, T., “On the Normal Paraffins.Part IV”,
  48. Philosophical Transactions, 174, 269-271 (1883).
  49. 23. Schorlemmer, C., “On the Derivatives of Propane (Hydride of Propyl)”, Proc. Roy.
  50. Soc., 17, 372-376 (1869).
  51. 24. Schorlemmer, C., “On the Derivatives of Propane”, Proc. Roy. Soc., 18, 29-32
  52. (1870).
  53. 25. Schorlemmer, C., “Uber die Umwandlung der Isopropylverbindungen in normale
  54. Propylverbindungen”, Zeitschrift für Chemie, 11, 49-50 (1868).
  55. 26. Schorlemmer, C. , “On the constitution of capryl alcohol from castor oil”, Proc.
  56. Roy. Soc., 1869, 376-381.
  57. 27. Wisniak, J., “Jules Bouis”, Revista CENIC-Ciencias químicas, 53, 316-329 (2022).
  58. 28. Bouis, J., “Recherches chimiques sur l’Huile de Ricin et l’Alcool caprylique qui em
  59. résulte”, Ann. Chim. Phys. 3, 44, 73-152 (1855).
  60. 29. Bouis, J., Carlet, H., “Formation de l’Alcool Oenanthylique”, Comptes Rendus, 55,
  61. 140-141 (1862).
  62. 30. Chapman, E., “On Caprylic and Oenanthylic alcohols”, J. Chem. Soc., 18, 290-298
  63. (1865).
  64. 31. Schorlemmer, C., “On the constitution of capryl alcohol from castor oil”, Proc.
  65. Roy. Soc., 1869, 376-381.
  66. 32. Bussy, A., Le Canu, L., “Sur l’Huile de Ricin”, J. Pharm., 13, 57-81 (1827).
  67. 33. Krafft, F., “Distillation of Castor Oil under Reduced Pressure”, Analyst, 3, 329-329
  68. (1878).
  69. 34. Schorlemmer, C., “Formation of Cetyl-alcohol by a singular reaction”, Proc. Roy.
  70. Soc., 19, 123-128 (1871).
  71. 35. Dale, R., Schorlemmer, C., “Transformation of aurin into rosaniline”, Chem. Soc.
  72. Jour., 33, 683-688 (1879).
  73. 36. Dale, R., Schorlemmer, C, “Suberone”, Chem. Soc. Jour., 30, 935-937 (1874).
  74. 37. Dale, R., Schorlemmer, C., “Suberic Acid and Azelaic Acid”, Chem. Soc. Jour.,
  75. 35, 693-688 (1879). Dale, R., Schorlemmer, C., “Über Suberinsäure und
  76. Azelainsäure”, Annalen, 199, 144-150 (1879).
  77. 38. Schorlemmer, C., “Ausführliches Lehrbuch der Chemie”, Friedrich Vieweg,
  78. Braunschweig, 1871, vol.I, pp. 1-34. (new edition, 1877).
  79. 39. Heinig, K., “Carl Schorlemmer – Chemiker und Kommunist ersten Ranges”,
  80. Teubner, Leipzig, 1974.
  81. 40. Heinig, K., op. cit., p. 33.
  82. 41. Heinig, K., op. cit., p. 34.
  83. 42. Heinig, K., op. cit., P. 35.
  84. 43. Heinig, K., op. cit., p. 38.
  85. 44. Heinig, K., op. cit., p. 38.
  86. 45. Schorlemmer, C., “On the History of the Word Chemistry”, Manch. Lit . Phil. Soc.,
  87. III, 7, - (1879).
  88. 46. Schorlemmer, C., “The History of Creosote, Cedriret and Pittacal”, The Journal for
  89. the Society of Chemical Industry, 4, 152-157 (1885).
  90. 47. Schorlemmer, C., “On the History of the Artificial Preparation of Indigo”, Scientific
  91. American, 11, edition 266, suppl., February 1881.
  92. 48. Gelius, R., “Carl Schorlemmer als Wissenschaftshistoriker: Zur Kenntnis seines
  93. unvollendeten Manuscripts “Beiträge zur Geschichte der Chemie”, NTM, 4, 65-81
  94. (1996).
  95. 49. Heinig, K., op. cit., p. 5.
  96. 50. Marx, K., apud Heinig , op, cit. p. 26.
  97. 51. Saramago, J., “Memorial do Convento”, Bertrand Brasil, Rio de Janeiro, 19th
  98. edition, 1996 (original Portuguese edition 1982). (my translation). English
  99. translation by Giovanni Pontiero (1932-1997), 1987.
  100. 52. Kopp, H., “On the Relation between Boiling-Point and Composition in Organic
  101. Compounds”, Phil. Transactions Royal Society of London, 150, 257-276 (1860).
  102. 53. Hartog, P., “The Owens College, Manchester (founded 1851). A Brief History of
  103. the College and Description of the various Departments”, J. Cornish, Manchester,
  104. 1900.

Similar Articles

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 > >> 

You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.