Hermann Staudinger

Hermann Staudinger (1881–1965) was a German chemist who established that polymers are long-chain molecules held together by covalent bonds. He received the 1953 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

Macromolecular theory: The theory that polymers are very large molecules made of many atoms linked by covalent bonds. Staudinger’s central claim recast polymers as molecules rather than loose aggregates.
Hermann Emil Fischer: A German chemist known for foundational work on sugars, purines, and the structure of natural products. Fischer’s structural chemistry helped establish the molecular approach Staudinger extended to polymers.
Polymerization: A chemical process that joins monomers into polymers through chain growth or stepwise reactions. Polymer formation offered a chemical route to the large molecules Staudinger proposed.
Hermann Mark: An Austrian chemist who advanced the study of polymer structure and helped develop industrial polymer science. Mark’s work supplied structural evidence for the macromolecular view.
Natural rubber: An elastic material obtained chiefly from latex, composed mainly of cis-1,4-polyisoprene. Staudinger used rubber’s behavior and chemistry to argue for long molecular chains.
Polymer chemistry: The study of the synthesis, structure, properties, and reactions of polymers. Staudinger’s theory helped establish this field’s molecular foundations.
Theodor Svedberg: A Swedish chemist who developed ultracentrifugation and studied the sizes of colloidal particles and macromolecules. His measurements provided evidence relevant to the scale of large molecules.
Covalent bond: A chemical bond formed when atoms share one or more pairs of electrons. Staudinger argued that covalent bonds link the atoms of polymer chains.
Kurt H. Meyer: A German chemist who studied cellulose and other high-molecular-weight substances. Meyer’s polymer research intersected with Staudinger’s arguments over molecular size.
Cellulose: A structural polysaccharide made of glucose units and the main component of plant cell walls. Its large size and properties made cellulose a prominent macromolecular example.

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