Leuchs studied chemistry at the
University of Munich from 1898. He transferred to the
University of Berlin and received his PhD there in 1902 under
Emil Fischer. He steadily advanced in the hierarchy of the university, becoming a lecturer in 1910, assistant professor in 1914, and full professor in 1916. The ministry of education assured him that he would succeed
Wilhelm Schlenk as head of the chemistry institute of the University of Berlin, but this never happened. His personality became strongly
misanthropic. The
Nazi regime,
World War II and the
destruction of Berlin increased his psychological problems, and shortly before the war ended he committed suicide in his flat in Berlin. This happened most likely on 2 May 1945 (two days after the suicide of Adolf Hitler). He was buried in a mass grave with numerous soldiers and citizens. ==Work==