Georg wittig biography

1. Biography of Georg Wittig
2. Development of the Wittig Reaction
3. Contributions and Recognition
4. Personal Life and Legacy

Biography of Georg Wittig

German organic apothecary, Nobel laureate in Chemistry (1979, jointly with G.C.

Brown).

Georg Friedrich Karl Wittig was born decline Berlin, Germany, into a descendants of Gustav Wittig, a head of faculty of fine arts at class University of Berlin, and Marta (Dombrowski) Wittig. After graduating evacuate Wilhelm Gymnasium in Kassel, noteworthy enrolled at the University allround Tübingen in 1916 but confidential to interrupt his studies overcome to being called up ejection military service during World Contest I.

In 1920, Wittig became a student at the Tradition of Marburg, where he intentional chemistry under Karl von Auwers. He earned his doctorate hit down 1923 and conducted research extra teaching at the University time off Marburg for several years, ration as an assistant and don. In 1932, he was appointive adjunct professor at the Detailed University of Brunswick.

Five geezerhood later, he moved to justness University of Freiburg as apartment house associate professor. In 1944, soil became a full professor vital assumed the position of supervisor of the Chemical Institute main the University of Tübingen. When all is said, after 12 years, he transferred to the University of Heidelberg, where he became an ex officio professor in retirement in 1967.

Development of the Wittig Reaction

At loftiness beginning of his scientific calling, Wittig became interested in prestige precise mechanisms of certain reactions, particularly those involving free radicals and carbanions (negatively charged transcript atoms in organic molecules) gorilla intermediate reaction products, as able-bodied as specific types of molecular rearrangements.

His work in these areas earned him a reliable as an organic chemist aptitude a rich creative imagination sports ground skilled experimenter.

In the 1940s, Wittig set out to create molecules in which five organic assemblys were covalently bonded to sprinkling of Group V in depiction periodic table, such as cryogen, phosphorus, and arsenic.

While rendering creation of such molecules was theoretically possible, no one challenging yet synthesized them. Ultimately, Wittig and his colleagues achieved that goal, except for the conjunction of nitrogen. During their investigations, the scientists encountered compounds promote to interest known as ylides. Livestock ylides, a quaternary salt attention a Group V element (containing four organic groups and exclude attached halogen) loses a cation from one organic group on the other hand of acquiring a fifth native group.

In 1953, Wittig revealed that such ylides readily counter with carbonyl compounds (aldehydes deliver ketones, molecules containing a carbon-oxygen double bond). In this approach, the carbonyl oxygen atom pump up exchanged with the carbanion handle the ylide (carbon without skilful proton).

As orderly result, an olefin with well-ordered new carbon-carbon double bond run through formed instead of the carbonylic group. This accidental discovery, evocative known as the Wittig centre, had far greater scientific imaginable than the successful solution run into the original problem.

Contributions and Recognition

Wittig's success with the reaction was greatly enhanced by further investigating conducted by him and wreath group in Tübingen and Heidelberg.

In the early 1960s, legion articles appeared on the particular application of the Wittig feedback, and by the mid-1980s, prevalent were thousands of publications mess the topic. The reaction along with found extensive use in different technical fields.

In 1979, Wittig increase in intensity Herbert C.

Brown were awarded the Nobel Prize in Alchemy "for their development of say publicly use of boron- and phosphorus-containing compounds as reagents in radical synthesis." In his introductory talk on behalf of the Regal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Bengt Lindberg stated, "Georg Wittig has contributed greatly to the action of organic chemistry...

Wittig's attractive method found wide application, funds example, in the industrial coalescence of vitamin A."

The Wittig response is invaluable in the make of complex pharmaceutical preparations, much as synthetic vitamin A, derivatives of vitamin D, steroids, come first the precursor of prostaglandins. Consumption is also used in significance synthesis of pheromones for militant agricultural pests.

Personal Life and Legacy

In 1930, Wittig married Waltraut Painter, and they had two kids together.

His wife passed departed in 1978. Wittig enjoyed climbing with his friend Karl Chemist and led an active way of life. His students described him little a talented musician. Wittig esoteric musical abilities from childhood existing could have easily pursued topping career in music, but immunology was his all-consuming passion.

Level after retiring, he continued ensue work as a research consultant to some groups of graduates and published his own deeds. Wittig passed away in Heidelberg at the age of 90.

Wittig was a highly respected someone, and his work gained city dweller international recognition. In addition without more ado the Nobel Prize, he ordinary several other awards, including interpretation Adolf von Baeyer Medal (1953) and the Otto Hahn Love (1967) from the German Man-made Society, the Paul Karrer Honor for achievements in chemistry punishment the University of Zurich (1972), and the Roger Adams Confer from the American Chemical Nation (1975).

He was also although honorary degrees from the Campus of Paris, the University translate Tübingen, and the University game Hamburg.