Ludwig F. Audrieth Papers, 1927-34, 1941-48, 1954, 1956-63, 1965, 1966 | University of Illinois Archives

Ludwig ("Lou") Frederick Audrieth (1901-1967) was associate (1928-35); assistant professor (1935-38); associate professor (1938-47); and professor (1947-61) of chemistry at the University of Illinois (UI). He was an influential diplomat and chemist known for his contributions to the chemistry of non-aqueous solvents.

Audrieth was born in Vienna, Austria, on February 23, 1901, to parents Frederika and Ludwig A. Audrieth. In 1902, he emigrated with his family to the United States, and, in 1912, he became a naturalized US citizen. He earned a B.S. from Colgate University (1922) and a Ph.D. in inorganic chemistry from Cornell University (1926). He was a research fellow at Cornell (1926-28) before he joined the UI Chemistry Department in 1928 and undertook a National Research Fellowship at the University of Rostock, Germany (1931-32). Audrieth's research explored nitrogen chemistry and reactions in non-aqueous solvents as well as "the chemistry of nitrogen-phosphorus compounds and of sulfamic acid, sulfamide, and their derivatives" (UIUC Dept. of Chemistry). In 1939, he and Michael Sveda discovered the artificial sweetener sodium cyclamate, which was by 1950 sold commercially in the form of Sucaryl. Audrieth also made contributions to the chemistry of rocket fuels and the production of hydrazine, publishing The Chemistry of Hydrazine (coauthored with B. A. Ogg) in 1950. He was a founder and contributor to Inorganic Syntheses and served on its board of editors (1934-67). In 1953, he published Non-Aqueous Solvents: Applications as Media for Chemical Reactions (coauthored with Jacob Kleinberg).

During his time at UI, Audrieth took leave on several occasions to serve the United States government as Army Reserves officer with the Chemical Corps (1930-42), major and chief of the research division at the US Ordnance Department at Picatinny Arsenal (1942-46), and scientific attache at the American Embassy in Bonn, West Germany (1959-63). In 1963, he took on the role of visiting professor of science affairs at the Foreign Service Institute of the Department of State in Washington, DC. Audrieth received the Prechtly Medal in Vienna (1965) for his diplomatic efforts.

Audrieth married Maryon Laurice Trevett on March 27, 1937, and they had three children. He died aged 65 on January 28, 1967.

Sources:

"Audrieth, Ludwig Frederick (1907-1967)," Department of Chemistry, UIUC, accessed May 8, 2020, https://chemistry.illinois.edu/spotlight/faculty/audrieth-ludwig-frederick-1907-1967.

"Ludwig Frederick Audrieth (1907-67): Synthetic Sweeteners and Statesman," American Chemical Society (ACS), accessed May 8, 2020, https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/noyeslaboratory.html#ludwig-frederick-audrieth-biography.

Wikipedia, s.v. "Ludwig Audrieth," accessed May 8, 2020, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludwig_Audrieth.