Günther Wilke

Günther Wilke

Born	1925
Nationality	German
Fields	inorganic chemistry
Institutions	Max Planck Institute for Coal Research
Known for	Organo-Nickel Chemistry
Notable awards	Willard Gibbs Award 1991

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.^[1]

References

^ Wilke, G. (1988). "Contributions to Organo-Nickel Chemistry". Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English 27: 185–206. doi:10.1002/anie.198801851.

Persondata
Name	Wilke,Gunther
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Date of birth	1925
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