Albert Ladenburg

Albert Ladenburg (born July 2, 1842 in Mannheim; died August 15, 1911 in Breslau) was a German chemist.

Ladenburg was a member of the well-known Jewish Ladenburg family () in Mannheim. He was educated at a Realgymnasium at Mannheim and then, after the age of 15, at the technical school of Karlsruhe, where he studied mathematics and modern languages. He then proceeded to the University of Heidelberg where he studied Chemistry and Physics with Robert Bunsen. He also studied physics in Berlin. He got his Ph.D. in Heidelberg.

In Ghent, Ladenburg worked for 6 months with Kekulé who introduced him to structural theory. They worked on the structure of Benzene. Ladenburg's theory that benzene was a prismatic molecule turned out to be wrong. His proposed structure was eventually realised in 1973 in the molecule prismane.

Ladenburg visited England, and then went on to work for 18 months in Paris with Charles-Adolphe Wurtz and Charles Friedel on organosilicon compounds and tin compounds. He then returned to Heidelberg to teach.

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