Anton Vilsmeier
Encyclopedia
Anton Vilsmeier was a German chemist who together with Erich Haack discovered the Vilsmeier-Haack reaction
.
and the Altes Gymnasium in Regensburg
. During World War I
, he served in the 11th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, and became a British prisoner following the Battle of the Somme, returning to Germany in November 1919. From 1920, he studied chemistry at the University of Munich, and from 1922 at the University of Erlangen, where he continued as an assistant after his studies.
in Ludwigshafen. He retired in 1959, and died in 1962 in Ludwigshafen.
Vilsmeier-Haack reaction
The Vilsmeier–Haack reaction is the chemical reaction of a substituted amide with phosphorus oxychloride and an electron-rich arene to produce an aryl aldehyde or ketone . The reaction is named after Anton Vilsmeier and Albrecht Haack...
.
Early life
Anton Vilsmeier was born to the mill owner, Wolfgang Vilsmeier, and his wife, Philomena, in Burgweinting, Oberpfalz. He attended the VolksschuleVolksschule
A Volksschule was an 18th century system of state-supported primary schools established in the Habsburg Austrian Empire and Prussia . Attendance was supposedly compulsory, but a 1781 census reveals that only one fourth of school-age children attended. At the time, this was one of the few examples...
and the Altes Gymnasium in Regensburg
Regensburg
Regensburg is a city in Bavaria, Germany, located at the confluence of the Danube and Regen rivers, at the northernmost bend in the Danube. To the east lies the Bavarian Forest. Regensburg is the capital of the Bavarian administrative region Upper Palatinate...
. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, he served in the 11th Bavarian Infantry Regiment, and became a British prisoner following the Battle of the Somme, returning to Germany in November 1919. From 1920, he studied chemistry at the University of Munich, and from 1922 at the University of Erlangen, where he continued as an assistant after his studies.
Career
Vilsmeier discovered the aldehyde synthesis reaction which bears his name in 1926, and it was published in 1927, the year that he began to work for BASFBASF
BASF SE is the largest chemical company in the world and is headquartered in Germany. BASF originally stood for Badische Anilin- und Soda-Fabrik . Today, the four letters are a registered trademark and the company is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, London Stock Exchange, and Zurich Stock...
in Ludwigshafen. He retired in 1959, and died in 1962 in Ludwigshafen.