Wilhelm Klemm (1896-1985)
Head of Department of Inorganic Chemistry, 1933-1945
W. Klemm was born in Guhrau on Jan. 5, 1896 and died in Gdansk on Oct.24, 1985 (Guhrau is former and present Polish town Gora in Lower Silesia. Between WW I and WW II Guhrau was situated in Germany close to Polish-German border). In 1919-1923 he studied chemistry at Breslau University. In 1923 he received his philosophy doctor's degree for research on chemistry of uric acid (promotor H. Biltz). Then he was assistant in Biltz's Laboratory in Hannover and in 1927 he completed his habilitation work on inorganic chemistry. In 1929 he was promoted to the associate professor position at Polytechnic in Hannover.
In 1933-1945 W. Klemm was full professor and head of Department of Inorganic Chemistry at Technical University of Gdansk. During 1944-1945 he was last vice-rector of this German university and he was responsible for the evacuation of documentation, equipment, library and staff.
In 1947-1951 W. Klemm was professor and head of the Department of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Cologne and later, in 1951-1964 he held the same position at the University of Munster. In 1952-1953 he was the President of German Chemical Society, in 1955-56 the dean of the Faculty of Mathematics and Nature Sciences and in 1957-58 the Rector of the University of Munster. In 1964 he retired (with the title of Honourable Senator of the University of Munster) and in 19665-67 he was the President of IUPAC (International Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry as the first German scientist after WW II.
Scientific achievements: The list of published papers of W. Klemm [1] has 250 positions including 9 books. One of them is a popular textbook of inorganic chemistry which had 40 editions, second – the textbook of preparative inorganic chemistry. Its first edition was worked out by H. Biltz and the next 40 editions with significant participation of Klemm. The book “Magnetochemistry” was published in 1936 by Klemm who was the leader in this field.
In 1944 the publishing house Ann Arbor (USA) printed two Klemm's books: “Magnetochemistry” and “Solid State Space Chemistry”. The order placed by British and American institutions induced Klemm to write the review “Analytical Chemistry in Germany in 1936-1946”. As many as 30 papers were prepared by him in the form of monograph and published mostly in Angewandte Chemie, Zeitschrift für Physikalische Chemie and Zeitschrift für Naturforschung. Most of his papers (over 200) had original character and 140 appeared in Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie.
The Klemm's research was almost completely connected with the inorganic and physical chemistry. For the first time he has obtained many high purity inorganic compounds. He made the very precise measurements of their physical properties: density at different temperatures, expansion coefficients, heat of formation, electric conductivity of molten compounds, magnetic properties, crystal structure using X-ray diffraction, molar volumes and others. The results gave him insight into the character of chemical bonding. He created the widely accepted classification of rare earth metals and transition metals. Klemm obtained and studied dozens of intermetallic systems; in chemical literature one can find the Zintl-Klemm conception explaining the structure of intermetallic phases. He synthesized also scores of fluorides especially the complex ones. He was the author of many new preparative methods which found the practical applications. The best period in research activities was during his stay in Gdansk (e.g. in 1939 he published 24 papers).
W. Klemm promoted over 100 doctors. Many of them became professors or chemical industry specialists. The credit for post-war, considerable development of solid state chemistry in Germany went inevitably to the group of professors which were Klemm's alumni. W Klemm was the long-term editor-in-chief of two significant chemical journals (Z. anorg. allg. Chemie and Chem. Zentralblatt).
Honours: Iron Cross I class and other honours from WW I, the Great Cross of Merit of Federal Republic of Germany, Medal of Merit, honorary doctorates of Polytechnic in Darmstadt, University of Bordeaux, University of Dijon, University of Lille, Memberships of Academy of Sciences in Halle, Munich, Dusseldorf and Gottingen. Special honours included also Liebig Medal, Moissan Medal, honorary memberships of many scientific societies. University of Munster awarded Klemm the title of Honourable Senator and City of Munster gave one of the streets the name of W. Klemm. The collaboration of Polish and German Chemical Societies gave the rise to initiative of invited Maria Skłodowska-Curie/Wilhelm Klemm joint lectures. The first Polish scientist invited by German side was Prof. M. Mąkosza (1995).
Special events and interesting facts:
W. Klemm has written the History of Faculty of Chemistry of Technical University (1904-1945) which was the very important source of information about the then Faculty.
The portrait of W. Klemm hangs in the seminar room of present Department of Inorganic Chemistry together with portraits of all other heads. W. Klemm's wife, Dr. Lisabeth Klemm, worked with him in the Dep. of Inorg. Chem.
In 1984 W. Klemm gave 180 volumes of Gmelin Handbook of Inorganic Chemistry to The Library of Faculty of Chemistry as a gift. The letter connected with that had a conclusion very unusual for “iron curtain” time: “this present should express my sincere wishes to develop the good relationships between Technical University of Gdansk and German universities which should help to maintain friendly relations between our nations”.
Klemm's visit to Gdansk in 1985 had a very unexpected course. Since many years Prof. W. Wojnowski collected information about his famous predecessor, he met also several Klemm's alumni and was impressed by attachment and respect for their Master. In 1981, during meeting with W. Klemm Prof. W. Wojnowski was fascinated by his interest in our University. Despite the unfavourable political conditions at that time, W. Klemm expressed the desire to visit the Technical University of Gdansk and his former department (“Jetzt aber muss ich nach Danzig”). The 40 anniversary of our university was the good opportunity for that and W. Klemm was invited by the Rector of Technical University of Gdansk. 89-years old W. Klemm came to Gdansk, visited the faculty and the department, talked to the scientists and took part in solemn session of University Senate where Prof. Hagenmuller from France was honoured with doctor honoris causa title. Following the session the Rector of Technical University decorated W. Klemm with a commemorative medal no. 467. While thanking for this distinction Klemm said: “it is my desire to make transmission between good collaboration of scientists and better understanding of both nations”. Next day he attended the lecture of his former student Prof. von Schnering that took place in historic Chemistry Auditorium where W. Klemm used to lecture over 12 years. Later he said that he would rather stay in Gdansk instead of returning to Germany. And so... on Oct. 24 he died unexpectedly of heart attack.
The funeral was in Munster on Nov. 7. The obituary was saying: “After fulfillment of his scientific desire, W. Klemm died on Oct. 24, 1985 in Gdansk, in the city where he conducted the long-term research and was decorated with the Medal of Technical University of Gdansk”.
Sources: R. O. Oesper [2], J. Goubeau [3], R. Hoppe [4], A. Butenandt [5] and collective work [6, p. 145 ].
References
- O. Glemser: Angew. Chem. 72 (1960) 179; Naturwiss. 47 (1960) 121
- R.O. Oesper: J. Chem. Educ. 29 (1952) 336
- J. Goubeau: Z. Elektrochem. 63 (1961) 105
- R. Hoppe: Z. anorg. allg. Chem. 622 (1996) 1
- P. Karlson: Adolf Butenandt, Stuttgart 1990
- Collective work: Beiträge und Dokumente zur Geschichte der TH Danzig 1904-45, Hannover 1979
Authors: Teresa Sokołowska and Wiesław Wojnowski
English version: Stanisław Konieczny
