Background
Eugen Bamberger was born on July 19, 1858, in Berlin, Germany. He was the son of pathologist Heinrich von Bamberger (1822-1888).
1885
the University of Munich, Munich, Germany
Eugen Bamberger in Munich with his colleagues.
The University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Lower Silesian Voivodeship, Poland
In 1875 Bamberger entered the University of Breslau as a medical student.
Humboldt University of Berlin, Berlin, Germany
Eugen Bamberger received his PhD for work with August Wilhelm von Hofmann in Berlin.
Eugen Bamberger was born on July 19, 1858, in Berlin, Germany. He was the son of pathologist Heinrich von Bamberger (1822-1888).
In 1875 Bamberger entered the University of Breslau as a medical student. The next summer he studied at Heidelberg with Robert Bunsen. He later returned to Berlin, worked with Carl Liebermann, and completed his Ph.D. degree under A. W. Hofmann, receiving his doctorate in 1882.
After Bamberger completed his Ph.D. degree in Berlin, he then became an assistant to Karl Rammelsberg at the Technische Hochschule of Berlin-Charlottenburg. In 1883 Bamberger went to Munich as Baeyers assistant, first in the analytic, then in the organic, laboratory. He gave his inaugural lecture in 1885 and in 1891 became extraordinary professor of organic chemistry. In 1893 he accepted a professorship at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule in Zurich. He relinquished this position in 1905, however, because of a nervous condition that left his right arm paralyzed. He nevertheless continued private research with the aid of an assistant.
In his dissertation Bamberger worked on derivatives of guanine, then turned to similar substances. He investigated aromatic hydrocarbons and elucidated the structures of retene, chrysene, pyrene, and the glycoside picein. As he pursued his work with naphthalene derivatives, he noticed that some compounds in which hydrogen had been added to the substituted ring no longer retained their aromatic properties. He called these alicyclic because they behaved like aliphatic compounds but had a closedring structure. In connection with this work he also extended the centric formula of benzene to naphthalene and supported this view with his work on benzimidazole and isoquinoline.
Turning to by-products of reactions previously studied, Bamberger examined such mixed nitrogen compounds as the hydrazones and formaryl derivatives. He then directed his attention to organic nitrogen compounds, and discovered the isodiazo compounds. He found that, unlike normal diazo compounds, in the isodiazo compounds the NO could be oxidized to N02. This led Bamberger to believe that a formula similar to that of nitrosamines could be used to represent those isodiazo compounds which on hydrolysis yielded normal diazo compounds. In 1894 this view was sharply criticized by Arthur Hanlzsch.
He suggested that the differences between the two types of diazo compounds could be explained by isomerism. As a classical organic chemist, Bamberger countered most of Hantzsch’s arguments by studying the chemical activity of the supposed isomer, but he admitted the cogency of the physicochemical arguments by replacing his proposed formula with one containing the phenylazo radical. The controversy continued for years, and only with the rejection of pentavalent nitrogen could a new formula for diazo compounds be proposed.
Bamberger then turned to the oxidation and reduction of nitrogen compounds. He reduced nitrobenzene to nitrosobenzene and phenylhydrozylamine with zinc dust in a neutral solution, but refused to patent the process. His preparation of dimethylaniline oxide supported the idea of the pentavalence of nitrogen. Following the diazo controversy Bamberger paid more attention to physical properties, investigating the optical properties of anthranil derivatives and the photochemical properties of benzaldehyde derivatives. In spite of this, however, he remained a classical organic chemist devoted to theory.
Bamberger was known as a chemist who investigated natural compounds, using minimum material and the simplest equipment, studying all byproducts thoroughly.
Physical Characteristics: In 1905 Bamberger obtained a nervous condition which made his right arm paralyzed. For the rest of his life he had to suffer from limited control of his right arm and severe headaches.
Eugen Bamberger was married to Karoline Rosalie Marie Bamberger.