General stores in the 1800s typically sold everyday goods such as food, clothing, household items, and tools. Chemical products available in these stores would have been basic and common items such as vinegar, baking soda, soap, and perhaps some medicinal compounds like laudanum or quinine.
However, new products and chemicals for household use were being researched on a regular basis. One such researcher/scientist was Eugen Baumann.
Eugen Baumann, a pioneering German chemist of the 19th century, is best known for his accidental discovery of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) in 1872, a material that would later revolutionize various industries. Baumann discovered PVC when he noticed that the material formed as a white solid inside a flask of vinyl chloride that had been exposed to sunlight.
Despite PVC's delayed practical applications, Baumann made immediate and impactful contributions to organic chemistry, most notably through the Schotten-Baumann reaction, developed in collaboration with Carl Schotten in 1879.
This reaction, which acylates amines and alcohols to form amides and esters, has become a cornerstone in synthetic chemistry. It is extensively used in the pharmaceutical industry for the synthesis of drugs, enabling the formation of peptide bonds essential for producing many medications. Additionally, the Schotten-Baumann reaction is pivotal in the fragrance industry
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