The German chemist Baron Justus von Liebig (1803-1873) was one of the pioneers in the field of organic chemistry and introduced the science of agricultural chemistry.

Justus Liebig was born in Darmstadt on May 12, 1803, the son of a druggist and dealer in chemicals. His early interest in chemistry may possibly be attributed to the fact that as a boy he was permitted to play with the chemicals in his father's laboratory. He was at first apprenticed to an apothecary, but after his experiments had blown out all the windows in the attic of the shop, this career came to a sudden end. He was then 15 and determined to study chemistry and devote his life to it.

Liebig was a student in chemistry at both Bonn and Erlangen and received his doctoral degree from the latter university in 1822. However, he was not satisfied with his knowledge and training and...