Giacomo Luigi Ciamician

Giacomo Luigi Ciamician (1857-1922) is the founder of “green chemistry”. Ciamician was very proud of his Armenian origin and heritage. The family claimed descent from Michele Ciamician, the great eighteenth-century historian of the Armenian people. In 1850 the family moved from Istanbul to Trieste, where there was a thriving Armenian community. The great chemist was born there. Ciamician studied chemistry in Germany before returning to Italy where he became a professor. Through their research, he and Paolo Silber raised the stature of Italian chemistry to world renown. Ciamician’s contributions to chemistry are as outstanding as they are varied. He made discoveries in physical and theoretical chemistry (plant chemistry, organic chemistry, natural products, organic photochemistry). He was also a prophet of solar energy. In addition to receiving numerous national awards, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize nine times. He became a senator in 1910.

Giacomo Luigi Ciamician (1857-1922) is the founder of “green chemistry”. Ciamician was very proud of his Armenian origin and heritage. The family claimed descent from Michele Ciamician, the great eighteenth-century historian of the Armenian people. In 1850 the family moved from Istanbul to Trieste, where there was a thriving Armenian community. The great chemist was born there. Ciamician studied chemistry in Germany before returning to Italy where he became a professor. Through their research, he and Paolo Silber raised the stature of Italian chemistry to world renown. Ciamician’s contributions to chemistry are as outstanding as they are varied. He made discoveries in physical and theoretical chemistry (plant chemistry, organic chemistry, natural products, organic photochemistry). He was also a prophet of solar energy. In addition to receiving numerous national awards, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize nine times. He became a senator in 1910.