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Wallach, Otto (1847–1931)| German analytic chemist who isolated a new class of compounds, called terpenes, from essential oils (oils extracted from plants and used in medicine, aromatherapy, and perfume). Terpenes are made up of isoprene units containing five carbon atoms, with the general formula (C5H8)n. He went on to determine the formula of the most important terpene, limonene, C10H16. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1910 for his work in alicyclic compounds. |
| Wallach was born in Königsberg, Prussia (now Kaliningrad, Russia) on 27 March 1847. He studied in Berlin and gained a PhD from the University of Göttingen in 1867 for his work on toluene compounds. After briefly working in industry, Wallach moved to Bonn to become the assistant of Friedrich Kekulé. |
| Wallach was appointed director of the Chemical Institute in Göttingen 1895 and continued to research the molecular structure of terpenes. In 1915, when he retired to enjoy his substantial art collection, he had already published over 120 papers. |
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