150 Years of chemistry at the University of Zurich

Chimia

Volumn 62, Issue 3, 2008, Pages 75-102

  Eugster, Conrad Hans ^a  

^a UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH   (Switzerland)

Author keywords

Chemical Institutes UZH; Karrer, P.; Werner, A.

Indexed keywords

EID: 42349088565     PISSN: 00094293     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.2533/chimia.2008.75     Document Type: Article

References (113)

1. The 'Carolinum', former convent school of the 'Grossmunster' ; the new building on what is today Kirchgasse 9, is now occupied by the Theological Faculty of the University of Zurich.
2. Löwig discovered bromine somewhat later but independently of Balard.
3. Festschrift 'Die Universität Zürich 1833-1933 und ihre Vorläufer',E. Gagliardi, H. Nabholz, J. Strahl, Zurich, 1938.
4. His books were carefully kept in the library of the Chemistry Institute as objects of great value. Löwig had taught before and for some time after his appointment as associate professor at the 'Industry School', a school of further education for the technical professions. One of his students from Easter 1833 onwards was Gottfried Keller, whom he continued to act as mentor, for example in his recommendation to the Erziehungsand Regierungsrat for the stipend in 1848. [5]
5. E. Ermatinger, 'Gottfried Kellers Leben', Artemis, Zurich, 1950.
6. Festschrift '75 Jahre chemischer Forschung an der Universität Zürich', produced by chemistry students of the University of Zurich, Zurich, 1909.
7. Now the 'Seminar for Pedagogic Studies Zürichberg Section', Rämistrasse 59; in later years the 'Alte Kantonsschule' to differentiate from the new building on Rämistrasse 74.
8. Löwig was honoured for his services to chemistry in Zurich on the occasion of the centenary celebration of the University of Zurich (1933) by the Zurich Chemical Society with a commemorative plaque in the entrance hall of the chemistry building on Rämistrasse 76.
9. Later improved and expanded by Prof. Abeljanz, it was used in lecture courses up to the beginning of the 20th century.
10. From 1911 the 'Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule' (ETH).
11. The shared Chair for Chemistry was retained until 1872; for other subjects e.g. astronomy, geology, crystallography, mineralogy, palaeontology, pharmacology double professorships (ETH and University) still exist today.
12. Owned by the Canton of Zurich until 1908; demolished when the Semper building was extended, ca. 1910.
13. Pompejus Bolley, first professor for technical chemistry at the Polytechnic.
14. A vibrant picture of the situation in chemistry at that time is given in: R. Meyer, 'Victor Meyer, Leben und Wirken eines deutschen Chemikers und Naturforschers 1848-1897', Akad. Verlagsges., Leipzig, 1917.
15. Wislicenus earned his living as a teacher for chemistry and mineralogy at the Industrial School and from 1862 for chemistry at the Veterinary Medicine School (founded in 1820, first as a private institution and then as the staterun School for Veterinary Medicine; 1902 taken into the University as the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine).
16. [17] During a celebration in Zurich of the victory of Germany over France, presided over by Wislicenus on 9.3.1871, a serious clash with demonstrators supporting France occurred which became known as the 'Concert Hall Riot'.
17. E. Beckmann, Obituary for J. Wislicenus, Ber. Dtsch. Chem. Ges. 1904, 37, 4861.
18. A. Werner and O. Meister wrote a vibrant account of the life of Merz filled with personal experiences: A. Werner, O. Meister, Verhand. Schweiz. Natur. Ges. 1904, LX.
19. In 1877 the same matter was discussed again and Victor Meyer at the Polytechnic was asked to write an expert opinion. As the result of his recommendation, both professors were retained.
20. Merz lived initially in the 'Kratz' in unusual lodgings. His peculiar, old-fashioned clothing gave him an odd appearance. But his generosity in financial matters and his helpfulness should be emphasised. He left the University a valuable legacy. Several books in the library of the Chemical Institutes originate from his extensive and well-ordered collection.
21. Merz' style of writing in his publications is very dry. He presented the new results briefly and usually without any relation to an existing wider context.
22. V. Meyer, Obituary for W Weith, Ber. Dtsch. Chem. Ges. 1882, 15, 3291.
23. M. Staub, 'Das chemische Laboratorium des Kantons Zürich 1877-1952', commemorative article for the 75th anniversary, Zurich, 1952.
24. After the war in 1870/71 France lost Alsace to Germany. Werner was called up for military service on 1.10.1885. He still found the time to attend some lectures in chemistry at the technical university. His choice of Zurich for his studies later was probably due to the francophone tendencies of his family and the proximity to Mulhouse.
25. The Polytechnic received the Ius Promovendi in 1909. Werner's dissertation was assessed by Abeljanz and Merz, who commented very positively on his work. His Klausurarbeit on "The Theory of Aromatic Compounds' was judged as 'excellent'. Werner gained his doctorate at 23 with the words 'with particular merit for excellence'.
26. Werner's portrait was probably painted at this time. It hung in the Director's office at Rämistrasse 76. Little is known about his work with Bertholot. It is possible that many of the experiments that Werner demonstrated in his lectures in inorganic chemistry originate from his time as a student in Paris. His successor Karrer used the same experiments unchanged for many years.
27. See also [28, 29]. The appointment commission consisted of Profs A. Kleiner (physics, chairman), H. Abeljanz (chemistry), A. Heim (geology) and A. Lang (zoology). Based on the expert opinions of Prof. A. v. Baeyer, M. Berthelot, J. Wislicenus, Emil Fischer, V. Meyer, A. Hantsch and R. Gnehm, the following chemists were proposed as possible candidates: Prof. Hans v. Pechmann (Munich), Prof. F. K. J. Thiele (Munich) and Privatdozent Dr. A. Werner (Polytechnic). Werner was put on an equal par with the 13-years older v. Pechmann and before Thiele. The recommendations seem to be prophetic from today's viewpoint! A visit by Kleiner and Heim to one of Werner's lectures and a presentation to the Naturforschende Gesellschaft on 26.6.1893 impressed the Commission so much that they invited him to a formal lecture before the Faculty.
28. P. Karrer, Obituary for A. Werner, Helv. Chim. Acta 1919, 3, 196;
29. P. Karrer, Gesnerus (Zurich) 1966, 23, 273;
30. P. Karrer, Helv. Chim. Acta Fase. Extraord. 1967, 7.
31. G. B. Kauffmann, 'Alfred Werner, Founder of Coordination Chemistry', Springer, Berlin, 1966.
32. [29] The situation damaged Werner's reputation internationally more than he deserved.
33. [23] "I had the honour as a young student to attend lectures by this excellent lecturer". Scientifically Abeljanz did not achieve much. It is odd that much later Karrer held the experimental lecture course in inorganic chemistry up to his retirement (1959) although a much better qualified lecturer in Schwarzenbach was available in the same institute. A deal of the blame for this misfortune resulted from the unhappy connection of the professorial salary and the Kollegiengelder.
34. Werner's private assistants had the job of verifying all the analyses of the doctoral students.
35. e.g. A, Hantsch (SS 1885-1893), E. Bamberger (SS 1893-SS 1905), F. P. Treadwell (WS 1893/94-1918), G. Lunge (SS 1876-SS 1907), R. Gnehm (WS 1894/95-WS 1904/05), R. Willstätter (WS 1905/06-WS 1912/13), H. Staudinger (WS 1912/13-SS 1926).
36. [35] give lively descriptions of the international character at the time of Werner.
37. F. Tiburtius, 'Erinnerungen einer Achtzigjährigen', C. A. Schwetschke & Sohn, Berlin, 1923.
38. Offers came from an unknown university in 1895, the University of Bern 1897, the University of Vienna 1900, the University of Basel 1902, Eidgenössisches Polytechnikum 1905, the University of Würzburg 1910, the University of Leipzig 1911.
39. Apparently Rämistrasse 59.
40. After Chemistry moved out in summer and autumn 1978, the buildings Rämistrasse 74 and 76 were completely renovated; see Section 11.
41. [29] is particularly informative since many documents were used that were not accessible earlier.
42. P. Pfeiffer, Obituary for Alfred Werner, Chemiker Zeitung 1913, 1517.
43. E. Berl, 'Some Personal Recollections of Alfred Werner', 7. Chem. Educ. 1942, 19, 153.
44. I. Lifschitz, 'Alfred Werner', Z Elektrochem. 1920, 26, 514.
45. J. Read, 'Humour and Humanism in Chemistry', G. Bell & Sons, London, 1947.
46. D. H. Wilcox Jr., 'Werner and Dyes', Adv. Chem. Series 1966, 62, 86.
47. The following text is based on refs [46-51].
48. A. Werner, 'Lehrbuch der Stereochemie', Gustav Fischer, Jena, 1904.
49. A. Werner, 'Neuere Anschauungen auf dem Gebiet der anorganischen Chemie', Vieweg & Sohn, Braunschweig, 1920.
50. G. Schwarzenbach, 'Alfred Werner and his Accomplishments', Helv. Chim. Acta, Fase. Extraord. 1967, 38;
51. G. Schwarzenbach, 'Die Entwicklung der Valenzlehre und Alfred Werner', Experientia 1966, 22, 633.
52. F. Feigl, J. C. Bailar Jr., L. Horner, F. A. Cotton, C. Klixbüll Jörgensen, L. Malatesta, K. B. Yatsimirskii, D. H. Busch, A. D. Wadsley, articles in Helv. Chim. Acta, Fase. Extraord. 1967.
53. "The Chemistry of the Coordination Compounds', Ed. J. C. Bailar Jr., Reinhold, N.Y., 1956 with 23 review articles from different authors.
54. 'Werner Centennial', Ed. R. F. Gould, Adv. Chem. Series 62, Amer. Chem. Soc. 1967 with 42 review articles from different authors.
55. G. N. Lewis, 'Valence and the Structure of Atoms and Molecules', The Chemical Catalog Co., N.Y., 1923.
56. A. Hantzsch, A. Werner, Ber. Dtsch. Chem. Ges. 1890, 23, 11, 1243, 2336, 2764.
57. [53] "In conclusion, the undersigned fulfils a duty of care for the case that the above developments should received some recognition, by giving the following declaration: the theory published here in collaboration with Herr A. Werner is the intellectual property of Herr Werner..."
58. A. Werner, 'Beitrag zur Konstitution anorganische Verbindungen', Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 1893, 3, 267.
59. An authentic description is given by King in ref. [44].
60. Complexes prepared by Werner's doctoral students and coworkers are today part of the 'Werner Collection' in the archives of the Chemistry Institutes. There are thousands of individual substances.
61. A. Werner, 'Über die Konstitution und Konfiguration von Verbindungen höherer Ordnung', Helv. Chim. Acta, Fase. Extraord. 1967, 24.
62. The diagnosis was 'progressive, degenerative, general arteriosclerosis, in particular of the brain'.
63. The resistance of Werner to his condition and his belief in a full recovery that is obvious in every application for leave were based on good reasons: Werner always experienced periods of completely clear thinking. Witness to this is a letter dated 28.1.1918 to the Philosophical Faculty II in which he expresses his opinion thoroughly and far-sightedly over twelve pages on the subject of the successor to Prof. Pfeiffer. He must have suffered greatly when he finally realised the seriousness of his condition.
64. See in this connection the description in ref. [74]
65. The lecturers denoted with an asterisk had done their habilitations both at the University and ETH.
66. The transcript of the Regierungsrat (meeting on 20.7.1916, RRB No. 1769) shows that the Erziehungsdirektion and the University Commission tried unsuccessfully to persuade Pfeiffer to change his mind.
67. R. Wizinger wrote a short obituary for Pfeiffer: R. Wizinger, Helv. Chim. Acta 1953, 36, 2032.
68. P. Pfeiffer, 'Organische Molekülverbindungen', Enke, Stuttgart, 1922.
69. Transcript of the Regierungsrat meeting of 28.2.1918, RRB No. 508.
70. Biographies of P. Karrer, see refs [68-70].
71. C. H. Eugster, Vierteljahresschrift der Naturf. Ges. Zürich 1971, 116, 506;
72. H. Eugster, Verhand. Schweiz. Naturf. Ges. 1971, 253;
73. H. Eugster, Chemie in unserer Zeit 1972, 6, 147.
74. A. Wettstein, Helv. Chim. Acta 1972, 55, 313.
75. O. Isler, Biograph. Mem. Fellows Royal Soc. 1978, 24, 244.
76. Karrer's brother Walter (19.8.1891-1961) obtained his doctorate in 1919 under the supervision of Profs Werner and Karrer on 'Optically Inactive and Active Diethylenediamine-Co-propionyl-acetonato Salts').
77. Transcript of the Regierungsrat meeting of 16.10.1919, RRB No. 2748.
78. Unfortunately neither the names of the referees nor their recommendations could be found.
79. The situation was not easy for Karrer in another aspect. From the records it is obvious that the Medical Faculty, during the procedure to appoint a successor to Werner and then again during the reappointment of the associate professorship previously awarded to Karrer and again during the appointment of the successor to Abeljanz, exerted strong pressure on the Philosophical Faculty II and the education authorities to be given a vote in the appointment and the design of the teaching and that they eventually applied for a Chair in Chemistry in the Medical Faculty (to the cost of a Chair in Phil Fac. II). Since they at the same time demanded an extensive reduction in the botany, zoology and comparable anatomy content, the Philosophical Faculty II stood firmly behind Karrer. The circumspect handling of the difficult discussions by the Erziehungsdirektor Dr. Mousson is the reason that chemistry was not forced into the role of a subsiduary subject.
80. Karrer's character is described in [65, 68, 69]. The not altogether happy relationship with Ruzicka in later years will not be described here.
81. P. Karrer, Obituary for Prof. Ernst B. H. Waser, Helv. Chim. Acta 1941, 24, 852.
82. P. Karrer, Obituary for Carl Naegeli, Helv. Chim. Acta 1943, 26, 730;
83. Vierteljahresschrift der Naturf. Ges. Zürich 1942, 87, 525.
84. Further candidates under discussion were: Prof. Kaufmann, Geneva, Dr. Baragiola, Zurich, Dr. Ruggli, Basel, Dr. Gränacher, Dr. Waser, Dr. Ruzicka, all from Zurich.
85. The archives contain letters from Profs. P. A. Guye, Geneva and A. I. Bernoulli, Basel.
86. Further opinions were probably obtained. The archives also contain an unfavourable reference from Albert Einstein, Berlin on Bernoulli (20.12.1919).
87. Rooms in Rämistrasse 76; laboratory courses in Room 17, PhD students in rooms 9, 12, 14, 15.
88. H. v. Halban, Obituary for Victor Henri, Vierteljahresschrift der Naturf. Ges. Zürich 1941, 86, 308.
89. Obituary of Werner Kuhn and appreciation of his most significant and versatile research: H. Kuhn, Obituary for Werner Kuhn, Helv. Chim. Acta 1964, 47, 689.
90. M. Kofler, Obituary for Hans v. Halban, Helv. Chim. Acta 1948, 31, 120.
91. The full structure determination of the photoproducts of 'tetrabenzoyl-ethylene' was carried out much later, see ref. [86].
92. J. R. Cannon, V. A. Patrick, C. L. Raston, A. H. White, Aust. J. Chem. 1978, 31, 1265.
93. Obituary of K. Clusius and appreciation of his scientific work: K. Schleich, Helv. Chim. Acta 1964, 47, 234.
94. G. Wagnière, Obituary for Heinrich Labhart, Helv. Chim Acta 1978, 61, 30.
95. During the official inauguration ceremony, the building was characterised somewhat sarcastically as an 'academic shunt yard' by Regierungsrat president Dr. A. Gilgen.
96. W. Schneider, Obituary for Gerold Schwarzenbach, Helv. Chim. Acta 1978, 61, 1949.
97. Discovered by W. Biedermann, a coworker at that time of Schwarzenbach, after he had searched through the very large collection of organic dyes that still exists today, for suitable structures.
98. In 1967 Schumacher was appointed professor at the University of Fribourg and since 1972 holds the Chair for Inorganic and Physical Chemistry at the University of Bern.
99. H.-J. Hansen, M. Hesse, W. v. Philipsborn, Obituary for Hans Schmid, Helv. Chim. Acta 1978, 61, 1.
100. Details associated with this appointment will not be stated here, for obvious reasons.
101. See the detailed description in ref. [93].
102. The assessment of the results of the Zurich research group by a competitor see: A. R. Battersby, H. F. Hodson, Quart. Rev. Chem. Soc. London 1960, 14, 77.
103. When sufficiently large glass tubes for the chromatography columns could not be found, a tube made of stainless steel was obtained, bored and polished to give the exact calibre by a Zurich weapons factory.
104. Karrer had long suspected that the calebasse alkaloids belonged to the strychnine class. In 1948 he proposed a chemical and pharmacological study of quaternary strychnine salts.
105. The legislative planning work that preceded the partial relocation of the University cannot be described here for reasons of space, see ref. [100]. It is also not possible to describe the sometimes vehement agitation by influential student politicians against the Irchel project. But it should be emphasised that the Student Chemical Society expressed clear support for the project.
106. 'Universität Zürich-Irchel, 1. Etappe', document from the Department of Public Buildings and the Department of Education of the Canton of Zurich, July, 1979.
107. Transfer of room capacity from Chemistry to Zoology.
108. Today this includes the following Institutes: Inorganic, Organic, Physical Chemistry, Zoology, Zoological Museum (scientific part), IT (user centre), and facility management. All first year students in the sciences and medicine attend lectures, tutorials and practical courses in these buildings.
109. P. Karrer, 'Zürich als Stätte chemischer Forschung in den letzten 100 Jahren', in 'Festschrift zur 200-Jahr-Feier der Naturforschenden Gesellschaft in Zurich', 1946, p. 178.
110. It is not possible to give exact figures because in the early years many external dissertations (e.g. from the Polytechnic until 1909) were submitted to the University for a doctorate. When the external place of research is obvious from the dissertations, they were not included in our records. However, those dissertations that were prepared at the University but the doctorate awarded elsewhere are also not counted.
111. The large number of diploma theses are not discussed here, although many exceed the range of many earlier dissertations because the diploma students, with a few. exceptions, went on to start a dissertation
112. In the travelling exhibition that the University made to celebrate its 150th anniversary, the Chemistry Institutes produced a slide show of the many and diverse professions that the former doctorates of chemistry have moved into.
113. The senior lecturers and the titular professors H. Streuli and K. Bernauer are employed in industry and do not have research groups at the Institute of Organic Chemistry.