Justus von Liebig did not make his reputation with a single discovery or innovation, but rather with his tremendous versatility. He conducted research in organic and inorganic chemistry, agricultural chemistry, physiology, and biochemistry and made significant contributions to the study of acids and bases, the chemistry of ether, the systematization of organic chemistry, and the production of industrial dyes as well as synthetic fertilizers. Liebig is considered to be one of the most important chemists of the nineteenth century.

Born in Darmstadt, Germany, on May 12, 1803, Liebig was the son of a merchant who sold pharmaceuticals, dyes, and salts, so he developed a keen interest in chemistry early in his youth. By the time he was nineteen, he had earned his Ph.D. at Erlangen, and at the recommendation of Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was hired to work in the laboratory of Joseph Gay-Lussac (1778-1850), where he remained for...