| Friedrich Gaedcke | |
| Birth Date: | 5 June 1828 |
| Nationality: | German |
| Field: | pharmaceutics |
| Known For: | discovering cocaine |
Friedrich Georg Carl (Friedrich) Gaedcke (5 June 1828 – 19 September 1890) was a German chemist.[1] He was the first person to isolate the cocaine alkaloid in 1855.[2] [3]
Gaedcke worked in a pharmacy in Rostock and studied in Rostock between 1850 and 1851. In 1856, he took over a pharmacy in Dömitz which he ran for 34 years. He is described as having made contributions to the pharmaceutical history of Mecklenburg[1]
Working with coca leaves, Gaedcke isolated the cocaine molecule.[3] Gaedcke named the alkaloid “erythroxyline,” and published a description in the journal Archiv der Pharmazie in 1855.[4] [5] He described the alkaloid as being of small crystal molecules with needle-like points on four to six sides.[3] He reported the numbing effects of the molecule on himself following a small tongue test.[3] Gaedcke's research received little attention at the time of its publication but would come to prominence a few years later following further work by Albert Niemann and scientists.[3] He is believed to have carried out his research in the private laboratory of Franz Leopold Sonnenschein.[6]