Günther Wilke
Encyclopedia
Günther Wilke is a German chemist who was influential in organometallic chemistry
. He was the director of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research
(Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung) from 1967-1992, succeeding Karl Ziegler
in that post. During Wilke’s era, the MPI made several discoveries and achieved some financial independence from patents and a gift from the Ziegler family. The institute continued as a center of excellence in organometallic chemistry.
Wilke’s own area of interest focused on homogeneous catalysis
by nickel
complexes. His group discovered or developed several compounds including Ni(1,5-cyclooctadiene)2
, Ni(allyl
)2, Ni(C2H4
)3. Some of these complexes are useful catalysts for the oligomerization of dienes.
Organometallic chemistry
Organometallic chemistry is the study of chemical compounds containing bonds between carbon and a metal. Since many compounds without such bonds are chemically similar, an alternative may be compounds containing metal-element bonds of a largely covalent character...
. He was the director of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research
Max Planck Institute for Coal Research
The Max Planck Institute für Kohlenforschung is a chemical research institute located in Mülheim an der Ruhr, Germany. The institute is part of the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft, a network of scientific research institutes mainly located in Germany...
(Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung) from 1967-1992, succeeding Karl Ziegler
Karl Ziegler
Karl Waldemar Ziegler was a German chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1963, with Giulio Natta, for work on polymers. The Nobel Committee recognized his "excellent work on organometallic compounds [which]...led to new polymerization reactions and ... paved the way for new and highly...
in that post. During Wilke’s era, the MPI made several discoveries and achieved some financial independence from patents and a gift from the Ziegler family. The institute continued as a center of excellence in organometallic chemistry.
Wilke’s own area of interest focused on homogeneous catalysis
Homogeneous catalysis
In chemistry, homogeneous catalysis is a sequence of reactions that involve a catalyst in the same phase as the reactants. Most commonly, a homogeneous catalyst is codissolved in a solvent with the reactants.-Acid catalysis:...
by nickel
Nickel
Nickel is a chemical element with the chemical symbol Ni and atomic number 28. It is a silvery-white lustrous metal with a slight golden tinge. Nickel belongs to the transition metals and is hard and ductile...
complexes. His group discovered or developed several compounds including Ni(1,5-cyclooctadiene)2
Bis(cyclooctadiene)nickel(0)
Bisnickel is the organometallic compound with the formula Ni2. This air-sensitive yellow solid is a common source of Ni in chemical synthesis....
, Ni(allyl
Allyl
An allyl group is a substituent with the structural formula H2C=CH-CH2R, where R is the connection to the rest of the molecule. It is made up of a methylene , attached to a vinyl group . The name is derived from the Latin word for garlic, Allium sativum. Theodor Wertheim isolated an allyl...
)2, Ni(C2H4
Ethylene
Ethylene is a gaseous organic compound with the formula . It is the simplest alkene . Because it contains a carbon-carbon double bond, ethylene is classified as an unsaturated hydrocarbon. Ethylene is widely used in industry and is also a plant hormone...
)3. Some of these complexes are useful catalysts for the oligomerization of dienes.