Hans-Werner Wanzlick

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

Wanzlick studied chemistry in Berlin and was at the Technical College of Charlottenburg (today the Technical University of Berlin) PhD. His doctoral supervisor was Helmuth Scheibler ( 1882-1966 ). Wanzlick was professor of organic chemistry at the Technical University of Berlin.

Scientific achievements

In 1960 Wanzlick reported in a 1/4-seitigen text message via N -heterocyclic carbenes, with a critical echo in the professional world. Experimental problems, misunderstandings and scientific prejudices were a reasonable appreciation of the pioneering work Wanzlicks in the way. 30 years later, with the isolation and structure elucidation of N -heterocyclic carbenes by Anthony Joseph Arduengo III, began a rapid development of this field of research, which continues today and has led to alkene metathesis.

The synthesis of the first stable carbenes (1988) and the hypothesis of a balance between carbene and its dimer was revolutionary. Wanzlick himself described the dimer as " Lottie and Lisa ", based on a novel ( published 1949) by Erich Kästner about a pair of twins who are constantly switching roles.