Heinrich Caro and the Creation of Modern Chemical Industry

Abstract

Originally published: 2000. Heinrich Caro (1834-1910) was the inventor of new chemical processes that in the two decades commencing in 1869 enabled BASF of Ludwigshafen, Germany, to take first place among manufacturers of synthetic dyestuffs. The cornerstones of Caro's success were his early training as calico (cotton) printer in Germany, and his employment at a chemical firm in Manchester, England. Caro was a creative research chemist, a highly knowledgeable patent specialist and expert witness, and a brilliant manager of science-based chemical technology. This first full-length scientific biography of Heinrich Caro delineates his role in the emergence of the industrial research laboratory, the forging of links between academic and industrial chemistry, and the development of modern patent law. Major chemical topics include the rise of classical organic chemistry, collaboration with Adolf Baeyer, artificial alizarin and indigo, aniline dyes, and other coal-tar products, particularly intermediates. 1. Chemistry and Revolution -- 2. Calico Printing in Mülheim -- 3. The Manchester Years, 1859-1866 -- 4. Negotiating Science-based Technology -- 5. Chemical Theory from Chemical Industry -- 6. The Chemist as Inventor -- 7. Academic-Industrial Collaboration -- 8. The Industrial Research Laboratory -- 9. Patents and Agreements -- 10. "Ambitious and Glory Hunting ... Impractical and Fantastic" -- 11. A Chemical Celebrity -- 12. Heinrich Caro: Genius and Myth -- Notes -- Location of Major Dye Classes, Important Individual Dyes, Dye-Intermediates, and Raw Materials -- Indexes.