Adolph Strecker, Chemist

* October 21, 1822 in Darmstadt
† November 7, 1871 in Würzburg

After successfully finishing his study of natural science in Gießen, Adolph Strecker received his doctorate in 1842 and started to teach at a Real-Gymnasium in his hometown. In 1846 he returned to the University of Gießen to work as a private assistant for Liebig and to receive his postdoctoral lecture qualification in 1849. After teaching in Gießen, Christiania (today: Oslo) and Tübingen, he followed the offer of the Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg  to become the successor of Johann Joseph Scherer. His most important achievements are the discovery of the Strecker-Synthesis, an important procedure to produce amino acid, and the description of lactic acid out of the amino acid alanine.