Staudinger

Staudinger is a German surname associated with several notable figures in science and natural history. Hermann Staudinger (1881–1965) was a German chemist who established macromolecular chemistry as a discipline. He proposed that large, chain-like molecules called macromolecules form the basis of polymers and helped develop the field of polymer science. For these contributions, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1953. The Staudinger reaction, named after him, describes the reaction of organic azides with phosphines to form iminophosphoranes and nitrogen, a transformation that underpins later bioconjugation methods.

Otto Staudinger (1830–1900) was a German entomologist who specialized in Lepidoptera. He is also known for founding the publishing firm Staudinger & Bangert, which produced major entomological literature and catalogs and contributed to the dissemination of Lepidoptera taxonomy.

The surname itself is of German origin and has been borne by people in various regions and fields. In addition to the two figures noted above, other individuals with the name have appeared in scientific and academic contexts, reflecting the legacy of the name in German-speaking scientific communities.