Hans von Wartenberg (1880-1960)
Head of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry, 1918-1933
He was born in Kellinghusen (Schleswig-Holstein) and finished the high school there. Then in 1899-1902 he studied chemistry at the Faculty of Natural Sciences of Berlin University. After six semesters (!!!) H. Wartenberg received his philosophy doctorate degree based on dissertation “Contribution to the chemistry of mercury oxyhalides”. With respect to his interests in physical chemistry he became the scientific associate of Walter Nernst the director of newly founded Physical Chemistry Institute at Göttingen University. W. Nernst (1864-1941, Nobel Prize 1920) was one of four physical chemistry pioneers beside Ostwald (1853-1932, Nobel Prize 1909), Arrhenius (1859-1927, Nobel Prize 1903) and Van't Hoff(1852-1911, Nobel Prize 1901). In 1905 W. Nernst was invited by Max Planck and became the head of Department of Physical Chemistry at Berlin University. H. Wartenberg followed him and initially started his work as assistant and then, after completing his habilitation (1908), he was promoted to associate professor position (1910). Following the invitation of Prof. A. Wohl, the Rector of Technical University of Gdansk, H. Wartenberg moved to Gdansk and starting from Oct. 1, 1913 he lectured physical chemistry and later also inorganic chemistry as well as inorganic technology and electrochemistry. In 1918 he became full professor and head of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry. Two times he served as the Dean of Faculty of Chemistry (1919/20 and 1923/24) and represented the Faculty of General Sciences in the University Senate. In 1933 H. Wartenberg returned to Gottingen where he replaced Zsigmondy (Nobel Prize, 1925) as full professor and director of the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry. First, thanks to money from Rockefeller Foundation he renovated and extended the institute and started intensive research. In 1937 he was forced to retire on the basis of the racist legislation because his wife was Jewish! Further research he conducted in Institute of Physics by the courtesy of Prof. W. R. Pohl. Despite of very primitive conditions he published significant papers every year. In 1945 he was reinstated with honours to the previous position which he lost because of political reasons. H. Wartenberg retired in 1948 but he still worked experimentally to his dying day. He died in Gottingen on Oct. 4, 1960.
Scientific achievements: about 150 published papers. H. Wartenberg conducted very difficult thermochemical experiments measuring the heat of formation and atomization energy of molecules of water, oxygen, acetylene, carbon dioxide and others. E.g. water molecules were investigated at temperatures 1000-2000°C and oxygen at 1100-1150°C. He found that thermal dissociation of oxygen led to ozone formation. Working on fluorine chemistry he synthesized several fluorides e.g. PbF4, CeF4, BiF4, CrF3, CrF4, CrF5, which were impossible to obtain until then. In research on high temperature chemistry Wartenberg measured the melting point of platinum, palladium, tungsten, thorium, and boiling point of silver and chromium using the volatility measurements; he determined the temperature of thermite reaction (24000°C), Langmuir flame temperature (47000°C); in order to define the type of molecules in gas phase he measured the vapor density for lead, silver, antimony, bismuth, sulfur, selenium, intermetallic compounds (MnZn2, Na3Hg) and even salts: he also found that some fluorides dimerize in gas phase what was later confirmed by mass spectrometry. He invented also the method for reduction of very stable metal oxides (e.g. ThO2) by using hydrogen in high temperature and designed special ovens for that purpose.
H. Wartenberg solved also complicated technical problems. Being 70 years old he started to work on alternative methods of production of pure silicon (crystallization from metals, thermite reaction). Due to huge demand for silicon for electronic applications he founded private company producing silicon.
H. Wartenberg was highly regarded as pioneer of high temperature chemistry and his work made unquestionable impact on its further development.
Honours: 1917 – Iron Cross II class., 1952 – honorary doctorate of RWTH Aachen, Bunsen Medal, Gauss-Weber Medal.
Special events and interesting facts:
After 1920 he rejected the proposition of professorship at Polytechnic in Hannover because he thought highly of relationships and working conditions in Gdansk.
In 1937, when he was threatened by compulsory retirement because his wife was not of Aryan descent, the authorities suggested him to divorce in order to retain the academic position. H. Wartenberg has rejected!
Sources: J. Goubeau [1], O. Glemser [2], collective paper [3] p. 165, Wartenberg files from 1913-1933 nos.988/606 and 988/606 (State Archives in Gdansk).
References
- J. Goubeau: Angew. Chem. (1950) 179
- O. Glemser: Angew. Chem. 72 (1960) 179; Naturwiss. 47 (1960) 121
- W. Klemm: Angew. Chem. 53 (1940) 2
Authors: Teresa Sokołowska and Wiesław Wojnowski
English version: Stanisław Konieczny
