Indigo, synthetic chemistry

Johann Friedrich Wilhelm Adolf von Baeyer (1835-1917) was hom in Germany. He discovered barbituric acid—the first of a group of sedatives known as barbiturates— in 1864 and named it after a woman named Barbara. Who Barbara was is not certain. Some say she was his girlfriend, but because Baeyer discovered barbituric acid in the same year that Prussia defeated Denmark, some believe he named the acid after Saint Barbara, the patron saint of artillerymen. Baeyer was the first to synthesize indigo, the dye used in the manufacture of blue jeans. He was a professor of chemistry at the University of Strasbourg and later at the University of Munich. He received the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1905 for his work in synthetic organic chemistry. 

In summary, high pressure ammonia synthesis was nothing less than another major step towards the industrialization of academic chemistry on the lines pioneered by BASF during 1869-70 with the scale up of the alizarin synthesis, and during the 1890s with the production of synthetic indigo. This created a tradition for highly risky financial... 

Nevertheless, with the arrival of synthetic indigo in the 20th century, more beautiful and water-fast cotton dyes than ever before could be produced, e.g. Indanthrene Blue. Arising out of the chemistry of alizarin, work began on an-thraquinone dyestuffs. In 1901, Rene Bohn at BASF made a remarkable dis-... 

The development of synthetic dyestuffs provided further impetus for advances in naphthalene chemistry. Towards the end of the last century, its oxidation into phthalic anhydride (PA) attained particular importance as a step in a successful route for the economical synthesis of indigo. In the 20 th century, the classic uses of naphthalene have been extended into new areas, for example, the development of the naphthol AS dyes from the parent naphthols, and the production of PA-based plasticizers and pesticides. The most recent developments in the field of industrial naphthalene chemistry concern the production of alkylnaphthalene-derivatives as solvents for use in carbonless copy papers, as well as the manufacture of naphthoquinone for the synthesis of anthraquinone. 

Baeyer was also the first to synthesize indigo, the dye used in the manufacture of blue jeans. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1905 for his work in synthetic organic chemistry. 

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