# Hermann Staudinger

_German chemist, winner of the 1953 Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1881–1965)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/hermann-staudinger
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Hermann Staudinger (German: [ˈhɛʁman ˈʃtaʊ̯dɪŋɐ] ; 23 March 1881 – 8 September 1965) was a German organic chemist who demonstrated the existence of macromolecules, which he characterized as polymers. For this work he received the 1953 Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 23 March 1881 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48956#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Worms ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48956#P19))
- **Died:** 8 September 1965 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48956#P570))
- **Place of death:** Freiburg im Breisgau ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48956#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Germany ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48956#P27))
- **Occupation:** chemist; engineer; university teacher; organic chemist; polymer chemist ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48956#P106))
- **Education:** Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg; ETH Zurich; Technical University of Darmstadt ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48956#P69))
- **Spouse:** Magda Staudinger; Dora Staudinger ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48956#P26))
- **Awards:** Commander's Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; Rudolf-Diesel-Medaille; Nobel Prize in Chemistry; Emil Fischer Medal; Fresenius Prize; Great Cross with Star and Sash of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany; honorary doctorate from the University of Strasbourg; honorary member of the Physics Association (Frankfurt am Main, Germany); honorary citizen of Freiburg im Breisgau ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48956#P166))

## About

He is also known for his discovery of ketenes and of the Staudinger reaction. Staudinger, together with Leopold Ružička, also elucidated the molecular structures of pyrethrin I and II in the 1920s, enabling the development of pyrethroid insecticides in the 1960s and 1970s.

## Questions

**When was Hermann Staudinger born?**  
Hermann Staudinger was born on 23 March 1881 in Worms.

**Where did Hermann Staudinger study?**  
Hermann Staudinger was educated at Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg, ETH Zurich, Technical University of Darmstadt.

## Related

- [Adolf Windaus](https://diginpl.com/people/adolf-windaus)
- [Albrecht Kossel](https://diginpl.com/people/albrecht-kossel)
- [Arno Allan Penzias](https://diginpl.com/people/arno-allan-penzias)
- [Benjamin List](https://diginpl.com/people/benjamin-list)
- [Bernard Katz](https://diginpl.com/people/bernard-katz)
- [Bert Sakmann](https://diginpl.com/people/bert-sakmann)
- [Christiane Nüsslein-Volhard](https://diginpl.com/people/christiane-nusslein-volhard)
- [Ernst Otto Fischer](https://diginpl.com/people/ernst-otto-fischer)
- [Ernst Ruska](https://diginpl.com/people/ernst-ruska)
- [Erwin Neher](https://diginpl.com/people/erwin-neher)
- [Feodor Lynen](https://diginpl.com/people/feodor-lynen)
- [Friedrich Bergius](https://diginpl.com/people/friedrich-bergius)

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Hermann Staudinger](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hermann_Staudinger) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q48956](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q48956) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: Hermann Staudinger.jpg by Nobel Foundation (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Hermann_Staudinger.jpg)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Hermann Staudinger, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: Hermann Staudinger.jpg — Nobel Foundation, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Hermann Staudinger". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/hermann-staudinger. Retrieved 15 November 2026.