| Günther Wilke | |
| Birth Date: | 1925 2, df=y |
| Birth Place: | Heidelberg, Germany |
| Nationality: | German |
| Field: | inorganic chemistry |
| Work Institution: | Max Planck Institute for Coal Research |
| Known For: | Organo-Nickel Chemistry |
| Prizes: | Willard Gibbs Award (1991) Wilhelm Exner Medal (1980).[1] |
Günther Wilke (23 February 1925 – 9 December 2016) was 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.[2] 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.[3] He died in 2016 at the age of 91.[4]
See also:https://web.archive.org/web/20080529173702/http://www.mpi-muelheim.mpg.de/kofo/english/institut/geschichte_e.html