Richard Müller (chemist)
Richard Gustav Müller (born July 17, 1903 in Hartha ; † July 7, 1999 in Radebeul ) was a German chemist and is known as the "father of silicones ".
Live and act
After attending elementary school in Hartha and G. E. Lessing grammar school in Döbeln, the son of an employee studied chemistry at the University of Leipzig from 1923 to 1931 , where he received his doctorate in 1931. From 1933 he then worked as a laboratory manager in Radebeul in the chemical factory v. Heyden . During his research there in 1941 he succeeded in the technical production of methylchlorosilanes , which are the starting materials for the manufacture of silicones .
“However, this discovery was more of a coincidence. In 1932, I had the idea of inventing an artificial fog to envelop entire cities in case there was ever another war. At that time there was no radar. But only a snow-white gas came out. After years of experimentation - it was now 1941 - I continued my research in a different direction. Then I finally discovered a viscous white mass - the silicone. "
In parallel with him, the American chemist Eugene G. Rochow developed the same process. Since both carried out their development independently of one another, this process is known today as the Müller-Rochow synthesis .
Müller played a decisive role in the reconstruction of the chemical industry in Radebeul after the end of the Second World War. In 1952 he became head of the VEB silicon chemistry in Nünchritz , an outsourced branch of the chemical factory in Heyden, and in 1953 scientific director of the entire plant.
He showed his moral courage during the uprising of June 17, 1953 , when he was the spokesman for the workforce of the now state-owned company Chemische Fabrik von Heyden.
From 1954 to 1972, Müller taught as head of the Institute for Silicone and Fluorocarbon Chemistry at the Technical University of Dresden , which made him an honorary doctorate in 1992.
Müller was buried in the Radebeul-Ost cemetery. A street in Radebeul has been named after Richard Müller since 2001.
Awards and honors
- 1951 National Prize of the GDR III. Science and technology class
- 1962 Clemens Winkler Medal
- Since October 1, 2012, the former salicylic acid factory and later chemical factory Dr. F. von Heyden one of the historical sites of chemistry , awarded by the Society of German Chemists (GDCh) as part of a ceremony with a plaque on the main building in Radebeul. This is reminiscent of the work of Jacob Friedrich von Heyden , Adolf Wilhelm Hermann Kolbe , Rudolf Wilhelm Schmitt , Bruno Richard Seifert and Richard Gustav Müller.
Fonts
- Müller, Richard; Contributions to the knowledge of the nickel oxide-oxygen-water system . Phil. Diss., Leipzig 1931.
literature
- Frank Andert (Red.): Radebeul City Lexicon . Historical manual for the Loessnitz . Published by the Radebeul City Archives. 2nd, slightly changed edition. City archive, Radebeul 2006, ISBN 3-938460-05-9 .
- Short biography for: Müller, Richard . In: Who was who in the GDR? 5th edition. Volume 2. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4 .
- Dorit Petschel : 175 years of TU Dresden. Volume 3: The professors of the TU Dresden 1828–2003. Edited on behalf of the Society of Friends and Supporters of the TU Dresden e. V. von Reiner Pommerin , Böhlau, Cologne a. a. 2003, ISBN 3-412-02503-8 , p. 662 ( limited preview in Google book search).
Web links
- Literature by and about Richard Müller in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ↑ Honorary doctoral students of the TH / TU Dresden
- ↑ Karin Fischer; Ina Steiding: Graves of professors of the alma mater dresdensis in cemeteries in Dresden and the surrounding area . Ed .: The Rector of the Technical University of Dresden. 2nd supplemented edition. July 2003.
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Müller, Richard |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Müller, Richard Gustav (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German chemist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | July 17, 1903 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Hartha |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 7, 1999 |
| Place of death | Radebeul |