Liebig, Justus, Freiherr von

Liebig, Justus, Freiherr (baron) von

(born May 12, 1803, Darmstadt, Hesse-Darmstadt—died April 18, 1873, Munich, Bavaria) German chemist. He made many important contributions to the early systematization of organic chemistry and to biochemistry, chemical education, and agricultural chemistry. He was the first to demonstrate the existence of free radicals and did much to clarify the properties of acids. He developed simple analytical methods (see analysis) that greatly aided his work, analyzed many tissues and body fluids, and showed that plants use carbon dioxide, water, and ammonia. In later years his reputation became so great that he was regarded as the final authority in chemical matters, and he was often involved in scientific controversies.