Steinhofer Foundation

Prof. Dr. Drs. h.c. Adolf Steinhofer

Was born on May 13, 1908 in Knittlingen (Württemberg). After completing secondary school in Würzburg, he studied chemistry at the University of Freiburg and obtained his doctorate in 1933 under Herrmann Staudinger with a thesis on "Contributions to the knowledge of polystyrene". Adolf Steinhofer remained with Staudinger as an assistant until he joined BASF in 1935. There he first worked on polymerization reactions of butadiene, then - in the working group of W. Reppe - on the technical synthesis of butynediol. He was soon put in charge of important operations at the Buna plant and after the end of the war he became head of the low-pressure department. Here he recognized very early on that the future demand for synthesis gas for the production of basic chemicals could no longer be met from coal and initiated the switch from coal to petroleum chemistry. In 1957, Adolf Steinhofer succeeded W. Reppe as Head of Research and was appointed to the Board of Executive Directors of BASF just a few months later.

From this position, Adolf Steinhofer rendered outstanding services as a promoter of science; this was based on the conviction that industry could not fulfill its mission for society without a close partnership with the university. Adolf Steinhofer was a member of numerous committees concerned with science and its promotion. His work as Chairman of the Chemical Industry Fund from 1964-1972 is particularly noteworthy, as this role gave him the opportunity to intensify cooperation between academia and industry and to promote highly talented young scientists in chemistry. As a member of the Board of Trustees of the University of Kaiserslautern from 1973-1986, he was also able to significantly influence the development of our university. He was Chairman of this body from 1977-1980.

Adolf Steinhofer's achievements were honored in many ways:

1961 Honorary Professor of the University of Heidelberg.
1965 Oskar von Miller Medal of the German Museum in Munich.
1966 Carl Engler Medal of the German Petroleum Industry Association(DGMK).
1966 Honorary doctorate from the University of Karlsruhe.
1967 Silver Medal of the Royal Swedish Academy of Engineering Sciences in Stockholm.
1969 Honorary senator of the University of Freiburg.
1972 Honorary member of the Association of Austrian Chemists.
1973 Leibnitz Medal of the Academy of Sciences and Literature in Mainz.
1973 Carl Duisberg Plaque of the Society of German Chemists.
1982 Honorary doctorate from the University of Kaiserslautern.
1985 Honorary member of the Bunsen Society for Physical Chemistry.
1988 Honorary Senator of the University of Kaiserslautern.

Adolf Steinhofer died on August 20, 1990 at the age of 82. A few months earlier, he established the Prof. Dr. Drs. hc Adolf Steinhofer Foundation.