KONINCK

koninck, laurent guillaume de (1809-1887), belgian palaeontologist and chemist, was born at louvain on the 3rd of may 1809. he studied medicine in the university of his native town, and in 1831 he became assistant in the chemical schools. he pursued the study of chemistry in paris, berlin and giessen, and was subsequently engaged in teaching the science at ghent and liege. in 1856 he was appointed professor of chemistry in the liege university, and he retained this post until the close of his life. about the year 1835 he began to devote his leisure to the investigation of the carboniferous fossils around liege, and ultimately he became distinguished for his researches on the palaeontology of the palaeozoic rocks, and especially for his descriptions of the mollusca, brachiopods, crustacea and crinoids of the carboniferous limestone of belgium. in recognition of this work the wollaston medal was awarded to him in 1875 by the geological society of london, and in 1876 he was appointed professor of palaeontology at liege. he died at liege on the 16th of july 1887. publications.--_elements de chimie inorganique_ (1839); _description des animaux fossiles qui se trouvent dans le terrain carbonifere de belgique_ (1842-1844, supp. 1851); _recherches sur les animaux fossiles_ (1847, 1873). see _notice sur l. g. de koninck_, by e. dupont; _annuaire de l'acad. roy. de belgique_ (1891), with portrait and bibliography.