Background
Wilke, Gunther was born on February 23, 1925 in Heidelberg, Germany. Son of Ernst Wilke.
Wilke, Gunther was born on February 23, 1925 in Heidelberg, Germany. Son of Ernst Wilke.
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. 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.
German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Academia Europaea; North Rhine-Westphalia Academy for Sciences and Arts. European Academy of Sciences and Arts.
Göttingen Academy of Sciences.
German Academy of Science and Engineering. Heidelberg Academy for Sciences and Humanities]
corresponding member of the math and science class abroad
Member of the North Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Science (President 1994-1997)
Member of the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina, Halle
Member of the Academia Europaea.
Married Dagmar Kind.
