Hans-Werner Wanzlick

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Hans-Werner Wanzlick (1982)

Hans-Werner Wanzlick (born October 5, 1917 in Berlin ; † November 4, 1988 ) was a German chemist and professor of organic chemistry .

Wanzlick studied chemistry in Berlin and received his doctorate from the Technical University of Charlottenburg (today: Technical University of Berlin ). His doctoral supervisor was Helmuth Scheibler (1882–1966). Wanzlick worked as a professor for organic chemistry at the Technical University of Berlin.

Scientific achievements

In 1960 Wanzlick reported in a 1 / 4 -side short message about N -heterocyclic carbenes . Experimental problems, misunderstandings, and scientific biases, however, stood in the way of proper appreciation of this pioneering work. 30 years later, with the isolation and structure elucidation of the N- heterocyclic carbenes by Anthony J. Arduengo III, a stormy development of this research area began, which continues to this day and led to alkene metathesis .

Wanzlick equilibrium: The thermolysis of the trichloromethyl compound (top left) produces a carbene with elimination of chloroform , which is in equilibrium with the dimer (top right).

The synthesis of the first stable carbene (1988) and the hypothesis of an equilibrium between carbene and its dimer was revolutionary. Wanzlick himself described the dimer as “ The Double Lottchen ”, based on a novel (published in 1949) by Erich Kästner about a pair of twins who constantly switch roles.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Hans-Werner Wanzlick: Helmuth Scheibler. 1882-1966. In: Chemical Reports . 102 ( 1969 ) XXVII-XXXIX, doi: 10.1002 / cber.19691020402 .
  2. ↑ Hans-Werner Wanzlick, E. Schikora: A new approach to carbene chemistry. In: Angewandte Chemie 72 ( 1960 ) 494, doi: 10.1002 / anie.19600721409 .
  3. ↑ Wolfgang Kirmse: The beginnings of the N-heterocyclic carbenes. In: Angewandte Chemie . 2010, doi: 10.1002 / anie.201001658 .
  4. ↑ Anthony J. Arduengo, III, Roland Krafczyk: In search of stable carbenes , Chemie in our time 32 ( 1998 ) 6-14, doi: 10.1002 / ciuz.19980320103 .
personal data
SURNAME Wanzlick, Hans-Werner
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German chemist
DATE OF BIRTH October 5, 1917
PLACE OF BIRTH Berlin
DATE OF DEATH November 1988