Wilhelm Karl Klemm (5 January 1896 – 24 October 1985) was an
inorganic and
physical chemist.
Klemm did extensive work on
intermetallic compounds,
rare earth metals,
transition elements and compounds involving
oxygen and
fluorine
Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas. As the most electronegative reactive element, it is extremely reacti ...
.
He and
Heinrich Bommer were the first to isolate elemental
erbium (1934)
and
ytterbium (1936).
Klemm refined
Eduard Zintl
Eduard Zintl (21 January 1898 – 17 January 1941) was a German chemist. He gained prominence for research on intermetallic compounds.
Family background
After his family moved from Weiden and Bayreuth to Munich and after he had finished school ...
's ideas about the structure of
intermetallic compounds and their connections to develop the
Zintl-Klemm concept.
Klemm co-authored one of the ten most-cited papers in the history of the journal ''
Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie
The ''Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie'' (''Journal of Inorganic and General Chemistry'') is a semimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering inorganic chemistry, published by Wiley-VCH. The editors-in-chief are Thomas F. ...
''.
His textbooks on inorganic chemistry became standard works for chemists. His ''Magnetochemie'' (c1936) is considered foundational to
magnetochemistry
Magnetochemistry is concerned with the magnetic properties of chemical compounds. Magnetic properties arise from the spin and orbital angular momentum of the electrons contained in a compound. Compounds are diamagnetic when they contain no unpaire ...
.
''Anorganische Chemie'' (''Inorganic Chemistry'') by Klemm and
Rudolf Hoppe has been described as a legendary work by two titans of solid state chemistry.
Klemm was the second President of the
Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (GDCh), serving from 1952 to 1953.
He was President of the
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) from 1965 to 1967.
Klemm co-edited the journal ''
Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie
The ''Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie'' (''Journal of Inorganic and General Chemistry'') is a semimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering inorganic chemistry, published by Wiley-VCH. The editors-in-chief are Thomas F. ...
'' from 1939 to 1965.
Since 1985, the GDCh has awarded the
Wilhelm Klemm Prize
Wilhelm may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm"
* Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
Other uses
* Mount ...
in his honor.
Education
Klemm was born on 5 January 1896 in
Guhrau,
Lower Silesia to Wilhelm and Ottilie (John) Klemm.
His father was a master carpenter and furniture manufacturer.
Klemm attended the Realgymnasium in Grünberg
before serving in the German army from 1914 to 1919.
He was an army liaison in Turkey, where he learned
Turkish
Turkish may refer to:
*a Turkic language spoken by the Turks
* of or about Turkey
** Turkish language
*** Turkish alphabet
** Turkish people, a Turkic ethnic group and nation
*** Turkish citizen, a citizen of Turkey
*** Turkish communities and mi ...
and
Arabic.
From 1919 to 1923 Klemm studied chemistry at
University of Breslau. In 1923, Klemm received a doctor of philosophy degree.
Heinrich Biltz supervised Klemm's dissertation on the chemistry of
uric acid,
entitled ''Aus der Chemie der Harnsäure'' (1923).
In December 1924 Klemm married
Lisabeth Herrmann, who had studied chemistry at Danzig (Gdansk) and at Breslau University with Heinrich Biltz. She received her degree in 1921, completing a doctoral thesis magna cum laude on the methylation of uric acid and its methyl derivatives. Her father was a forestry scientist.
The Klemms formed a community of which Lisbeth Klemm was the social center, and Wilhelm was the intellectual center.
Heinrich Biltz recommended Klemm to his brother
Wilhelm Biltz, who had begun teaching at the
Technische Hochschule Hannover in 1921.
Klemm
habilitated
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in many European countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excellence in research, teaching and further education, usually including a ...
there in the field of
inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry deals with synthesis and behavior of inorganic and organometallic compounds. This field covers chemical compounds that are not carbon-based, which are the subjects of organic chemistry. The distinction between the two disci ...
in 1927.
Career
Technische Universität Hannover
From 1927 to 1929 Klemm worked as a Privatdozent at the Technische Hochschule Hannover. In 1929 he was promoted to the position of associate professor.
Düsseldorf
Klemm was reportedly a Professor for inorganic chemistry in Düsseldorf at some time between 1929 and 1933.
Technische Hochschule Danzig
As of 1 April 1933, Klemm became a full professor and head of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry at the
Technische Hochschule Danzig. Klemm replaced
Hans Joachim von Wartenberg,
who had taught at the Technische Hochschule Danzig from 1913 to 1932 and served in several senior positions including head of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry. Von Wartenberg left in August 1932 to become director of the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at the
University of Göttingen.
The Technische Hochschule Danzig was at that time located in the
Free City of Danzig
The Free City of Danzig (german: Freie Stadt Danzig; pl, Wolne Miasto Gdańsk; csb, Wòlny Gard Gduńsk) was a city-state under the protection of the League of Nations between 1920 and 1939, consisting of the Baltic Sea port of Danzig (now Gda ...
(1920-1939).
The population of the city was predominantly German and faculty and staff tended to align with National Socialism even before 1933.
The attitudes of scientists at the university have been described in terms of "shades of gray".
Klemm had some involvement with the National Socialists but his motives are not known.
Klemm was not a signatory of the ''Bekenntnis der Professoren an den deutschen Universitäten'' (1933).
He did sign the later ''Aufstellung zu den Unterzeichnern des Appells „An die Gebildeten der Welt“ (11. November 1933)'', a list of academics who professed support for Adolf Hitler and National Socialism.
Klemm became a member of the
NSDAP (Nazi Party) in 1938, rather later than contemporaries like
Adolf Butenandt.
Following the
Invasion of Poland which began 1 September 1939, the Free City of Danzig was annexed by Germany, and anti-Jewish measures escalated.
In a letter to the editorial staff of ''
Chemische Berichte'' in June 1942 Klemm argued that contributions from chemist
Georg-Maria Schwab
Georg-Maria Schwab (, el, Γεώργιος Σβαμπ; 3 February 1899 – 23 December 1984) was a German-Greek physical chemist recognised for his important contributions in the field of catalysis and the kinetics thereof.
Schwab's early acade ...
and other "non-Aryan" authors should not appear in German chemical journals.
Klemm served as head of the Inorganic Chemistry department of the Technische Hochschule Danzig from 1933 to 1945,
and was its last vice-rector. He was responsible for the
evacuation
Evacuation or Evacuate may refer to:
* Casualty evacuation (CASEVAC), patient evacuation in combat situations
* Casualty movement, the procedure for moving a casualty from its initial location to an ambulance
* Emergency evacuation, removal of per ...
of equipment, books, files, and people in 1944-1945, in advance of Soviet troops.
Approximately 500 books and pieces of equipment and 300 staff and family members sailed on the ship ''Deutschland'' on 27 January 1945 bound for Kiel.
Much of the university including the chemistry building was destroyed in subsequent months. Following the war Gdańsk became part of Poland. On 24 March 1945, the university was re-established as a Polish institution.
Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel
During the period of
denazification
Denazification (german: link=yes, Entnazifizierung) was an Allied initiative to rid German and Austrian society, culture, press, economy, judiciary, and politics of the Nazi ideology following the Second World War. It was carried out by remov ...
following the war, Nazi party members and others who were more than nominal participants in Nazi activities were barred from public posts. Those applying for academic positions had to certify their acceptability.
Klemm was the lead author for the preparation and publication of the six inorganic chemistry volumes of the ''FIAT review of German science, 1939-1946'' (1948-1949).
FIAT volumes were compiled by leading German scientists in cooperation with the Military Government for Germany, involving Field Information Agencies Technical from the British, French, and U.S. zones, to report on the scientific work done in Germany during the war years.
From 23 May 1947
to 1951, Klemm led the Inorganic Chemical Institute at
University of Kiel (Christian-Albrechts-Universität zu Kiel).
The Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Kiel has a collection of correspondence and other papers dating from 1947 through the 1960s, relating to Wilhelm Klemm and his successor,
Robert Juza
The name Robert is an ancient Germanic given name, from Proto-Germanic "fame" and "bright" (''Hrōþiberhtaz''). Compare Old Dutch ''Robrecht'' and Old High German ''Hrodebert'' (a compound of '' Hruod'' ( non, Hróðr) "fame, glory, honou ...
.
Klemm's first wife, Lisabeth Klemm (nee Herrmann, born 9 October 1895, Eberswalde) died of cancer on 15 October 1948 in Kiel.
In 1949, Klemm married Lina Arndt, a dentist who had been a friend of his first wife.
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
By 1951, the Allied Powers were lifting reemployment restrictions against Nazi party members, and it became easier for academics to find or change positions.
Klemm accepted a position as professor and department head at the
Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster where he remained from 1951 until he retired as professor emeritus in 1964.
The university was in need of substantial rebuilding after the war. Klemm headed the Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry.
As rector of the Westfälische Wilhelms-Universität Münster from 1957-1958,
Klemm founded its Natural Science Center.
He also served as vice-rector from 1958-1960.
Scientific contributions
Klemm's scientific work focused on the systematic investigation of solids, to understand the properties of substances and how they related to the substances' atomic arrangement.
At a very early stage he recognized the importance of physical methods including crystal structure analysis using
X-ray diffraction
X-ray crystallography is the experimental science determining the atomic and molecular structure of a crystal, in which the crystalline structure causes a beam of incident X-rays to diffract into many specific directions. By measuring the angles ...
and magnetochemical measurements for the investigation of solids. His paper with
Wilhelm Biltz, "Über die Elektrolytische Leitfähigkeit geschmolzenen Scandiumchlorids"(About the electrolytic conductivity of molten scandium chloride, 1923) became one of the ten most-cited papers in the history of the journal ''
Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie
The ''Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie'' (''Journal of Inorganic and General Chemistry'') is a semimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering inorganic chemistry, published by Wiley-VCH. The editors-in-chief are Thomas F. ...
''.
Klemm has been described as the founder of modern
magnetochemistry
Magnetochemistry is concerned with the magnetic properties of chemical compounds. Magnetic properties arise from the spin and orbital angular momentum of the electrons contained in a compound. Compounds are diamagnetic when they contain no unpaire ...
for introducing new methods in the 1920s and describing them in detail in his 1936 book, ''Magnetochemie''.
It is considered a "pioneering textbook" and the foundation of much subsequent work in the field.
Klemm's areas of focus included the
intermetallic compounds,
rare earth metals,
transition elements and compounds involving
oxygen and
fluorine
Fluorine is a chemical element with the symbol F and atomic number 9. It is the lightest halogen and exists at standard conditions as a highly toxic, pale yellow diatomic gas. As the most electronegative reactive element, it is extremely reacti ...
.
His work on the properties of rare elements such as
gallium
Gallium is a chemical element with the symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Discovered by French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1875, Gallium is in group 13 of the periodic table and is similar to the other metals of the group (aluminiu ...
,
germanium
Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white and similar in appearance to silicon. It is a metalloid in the carbon group that is chemically similar to its group neighbors s ...
,
indium,
rhenium and related compounds was considered authoritative. He was particularly interested in the synthesis of compounds involving unusual degrees of oxidation, and the comparison of compounds with similar structure in order to better understand their properties.
Klemm studied
molar volumes and
coefficients of expansion
Thermal expansion is the tendency of matter to change its shape, area, volume, and density in response to a change in temperature, usually not including phase transitions.
Temperature is a monotonic function of the average molecular kinetic ...
of both fused and solid
halides. He also examined
indium,
gallium
Gallium is a chemical element with the symbol Ga and atomic number 31. Discovered by French chemist Paul-Émile Lecoq de Boisbaudran in 1875, Gallium is in group 13 of the periodic table and is similar to the other metals of the group (aluminiu ...
,
germanium
Germanium is a chemical element with the symbol Ge and atomic number 32. It is lustrous, hard-brittle, grayish-white and similar in appearance to silicon. It is a metalloid in the carbon group that is chemically similar to its group neighbors s ...
, and
rhenium, and
rare earth elements, determining their
heats of formation and studying their reactivity with
ammonia.
In 1936, Wilhelm Klemm and Anna Neuber published research on the magnetic properties of triphenylchromium compounds. Their magnetic susceptibility (approx. 1.73
Bohr magnetons) was found to be inconsistent with the structure determination proposed by
Franz Hein
Franz Hein (30 June 1892 – 26 February 1976) was a German scientist and artist.
History
Franz Hein was born in Grötzingen (Baden), Germany. His high school years were spent in Leipzig, as well as, his college years at the University of Leipzig. ...
for penta-, tetra- and triphenylchromium compounds.
In 1934, Wilhelm Klemm and
Heinrich Bommer were the first to achieve pure
erbium, by heating erbium chloride with potassium.
In 1936, Wilhelm Klemm and Heinrich Bommer were the first to isolate elemental
ytterbium by reducing ytterbium (III) chloride with potassium at 250 °C. They also determined the crystal structure and magnetic properties of the metal.
Klemm's work on transition metal oxides, fluorides and lanthanides was interrupted in 1939 by
World War II.
Klemm's research led to the identification of systematic relationships among the elements of the
periodic system. It also led to a new method for classifying rare earths based on the stability of both completely filled and "half-filled"
electrons which could be applied to both ions and metals.
Klemm identified unusual
oxidation states in oxo- and fluoro- complexes and refined the ideas of
Eduard Zintl
Eduard Zintl (21 January 1898 – 17 January 1941) was a German chemist. He gained prominence for research on intermetallic compounds.
Family background
After his family moved from Weiden and Bayreuth to Munich and after he had finished school ...
on the structure of
intermetallic compounds to develop the
Zintl-Klemm concept.
One of Klemm's students and coworkers was
Rudolf Hoppe. Hoppe worked with Klemm on fluorides,
and in 1962 produced the first
noble gas compounds.
Textbooks
Over the course of his career, Klemm wrote and co-wrote a number of textbooks on inorganic chemistry which became standard textbooks in the field, repeatedly reprinted and translated. These include:
* Klemm, Wilhelm, ''Anorganische chemie'' (c1935). Berlin, Leipzig, W. de Gruyter & co.
* Klemm, Wilhelm, ''Magnetochemie'' (c1936) Leipzig, Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft m.b.H. Considered a foundational text in magnetochemistry.
* Biltz, Heinrich, Klemm, Wilhelm and Fischer, Werner. ''Experimentelle Einführung in die anorganische Chemie'' (1937), Berlin, Leipzig, Walter de Gruyter & Co. An introduction to inorganic chemistry using experimental methods. Beginning with the 21st edition in 1937, Heinrich Biltz was joined by co-authors Wilhelm Klemm and Werner Fischer. Their new version of the textbook became so well known that it was referred to as "BKF". At least 73 editions were published.
* Klemm, Wilhelm, and Hoppe, Rudolf. ''Anorganische Chemie'' (c1979). Berlin ; Boston : De Gruyter, c1979. ''Anorganische Chemie'' by Klemm and
Rudolf Hoppe has been described as a legendary work by two titans of solid state chemistry.
Organizational contributions
Klemm was a member of the
Academy of Sciences Leopoldina (Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina) in
Halle, Germany Halle, Germany may refer to:
* Halle, Saxony-Anhalt, also called ''Halle an der Saale'', or Halle (Saale)
* Halle, North Rhine-Westphalia, also called ''Halle in Westfalen'', or ''Halle (Westfalen)''
* Halle, Bentheim, in the district of Bentheim, ...
; the
Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities
The Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (german: Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften) is an independent public institution, located in Munich. It appoints scholars whose research has contributed considerably to the increase of knowledg ...
(Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften) in
Munich, Germany;
the
Göttingen Academy of Sciences (Akademie der Wissenschaften zu Göttingen) in
Göttingen, Germany; and
the
Rhine-Westphalian Academy of Sciences in
Düsseldorf, Germany.
Klemm was co-editor of ''
Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie
The ''Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie'' (''Journal of Inorganic and General Chemistry'') is a semimonthly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering inorganic chemistry, published by Wiley-VCH. The editors-in-chief are Thomas F. ...
'' (the journal for inorganic and general chemistry) from 1939–1965.
From 1945 onwards, his central tasks were to reestablish teaching and research in Kiel (1947-1951) and in Münster (1951-) and to help reconstruct chemical institutions at the national and international levels.
Wilhelm Klemm was an influential science organizer. He became the second president of the
Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (1952-1953), working to foster communication between chemists in different zones of post-war Germany.
In the 1950s and 1960s, he worked to build communication and cohesion between scientists in the
GDR
East Germany, officially the German Democratic Republic (GDR; german: Deutsche Demokratische Republik, , DDR, ), was a country that existed from its creation on 7 October 1949 until its dissolution on 3 October 1990. In these years the state ...
and the
Federal Republic
A federal republic is a federation of states with a republican form of government. At its core, the literal meaning of the word republic when used to reference a form of government means: "a country that is governed by elected representatives ...
.
As president of the GDCh he participated in the founding of the Chemical Society of the GDR, formally created on 11 May 1953.
Wilhelm Klemm campaigned for international exchange in the sciences. From 1965 to 1967 he was President of the
International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC).
He was the first German scientist to fill such a high international position after
World War II.
In 1966 he became the secretary-treasurer of the recently formed
Committee on Data for Science and Technology (CODATA) of the
International Council of Scientific Unions
The International Council for Science (ICSU, after its former name, International Council of Scientific Unions) was an international non-governmental organization devoted to international cooperation in the advancement of science. Its members ...
(ICSU), whose purpose was to encourage the use of international standards of scientific nomenclature, symbols, constants, and data sets.
He served on the committee from 1968-1975, also holding the position of vice-president.
Philanthropy
On 8 July 1977 Wilhelm and Lina Klemm signed a will describing their intention to use the revenue from the eventual sale of their home at Theresiengrund 22 for scholarships for students to travel and present their research internationally.
Lina Klemm died on 4 April 1985.
Wilhelm Klemm died on 24 October 1985 while visiting Gdansk for the first time since the war, to receive commemorative medal no. 467 from the
Gdańsk University of Technology.
His body was returned to Münster, where he is buried in the Münster Central Cemetery, ID 186397208.
The first scholarships of the Wilhelm-Klemm-Stiftung were awarded in 1987.
Awards and honors
* 1951,
Liebig Medal (Liebig-Denkmünze),
Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker (Society of German Chemists)
* 1953, Moissan-Médaille,
École nationale supérieure de chimie de Paris
Chimie ParisTech (officially École nationale supérieure de chimie de Paris (''National Chemical Engineering Institute in Paris''), also known as ENSCP or Chimie Paris), founded in 1896 within the University of Paris, is an engineering school an ...
* 1958,
Centenary Prize,
Royal Society of Chemistry
* 1963, Carl-Duisberg-Plakette,
Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker, "In recognition of his successful cooperation in German and international organizations, through which he has made a decisive contribution to the reputation of German chemistry abroad".
* 1965,
Lavoisier Medal,
Société Chimique de France
Lactalis is a French multinational dairy products corporation, owned by the Besnier family and based in Laval, Mayenne, France. The company's former name was Besnier SA.
Lactalis is the largest dairy products group in the world, and is the se ...
* 1966, Großes Verdienstkreuz/Commander's Cross of the
Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
* 1980,
Festschrift, ''The Journal of the Less-Common Metals'' published an issue in honor of his 85th birthday, which occurred on 5 January 1981.
* 1981, title of Honourable Senator, University of Münster, in recognition of contributions to the rebuilding of the university.
* honorary doctorates from the Polytechnic in Darmstadt, University of Bordeaux, University of Dijon, University of Lille
* Wilhelm-Klemm-Straße in Münster is named in Klemm's honor.
It is part of the university and is the site of the Physics building.
* 1985, first award of the
Wilhelm Klemm Prize
Wilhelm may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* William Charles John Pitcher, costume designer known professionally as "Wilhelm"
* Wilhelm (name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name or surname
Other uses
* Mount ...
, given by the GDCh in his honor.
* 1995, first award of the Maria Skłodowska-Curie and Wilhelm Klemm Lectureship Award, a collaborative initiative of the Polish and German Chemical Societies to give invited joint lectures.
Additional sources
* Bibliography:
* Goubeau, Josef. (1961) "Wilhelm Klemm." In ''Zeitschrift für Elektrochemie. Berichte der Bunsengesellschaft für Physikalische Chemie.'' 65, p. 105.
* King RB 2004, 'The metallurgist's periodic table and the Zintl-Klemm concept', in DH Rouvray DH & RB King (eds), The periodic table: into the 21st century, Institute of Physics Publishing, Philadelphia, , pp. 189–206.
* Miller GJ, Schmidt MW, Wang F & You T-S 2011, 'Quantitative Advances in the Zintl-Klemm Formalism,' in TF Fässler (ed), Zintl Phases: Principles and Recent Developments, Springer-Verlag, Berlin, pp. 1 56,
* Klemm W 1950, 'Einige probleme aus der physik und der chemie der halbmetalle und der metametalle', Angewandte Chemie, vol. 62, no. 6, pp. 133–42
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Klemm, Wilhelm
1896 births
1985 deaths
People from Góra
People from the Province of Silesia
20th-century German chemists
University of Breslau alumni
Academic staff of the University of Kiel
Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
Rare earth scientists
Presidents of the German Chemical Society