Background
He was born in Munich and also studied chemistry there.
He was born in Munich and also studied chemistry there.
Schlenk succeeded Hermann Emil Fischer at the University of Berlin in 1919. Schlenk was an organic chemist who discovered organolithium compounds around 1917. Today Schlenk is remembered mostly for developing techniques to handle air-sensitive compounds and for his invention of the Schlenk flask.
The latter is a reaction vessel with a glass or Teflon tap for the addition and removal of gases, such as nitrogen or argon.
German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina. Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities.