The 1913 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Alfred Werner for his proposal regarding the octahedral configuration of transition metal complexes. This achievement established the fundamental principles of modern coordination chemistry, identifying how central metal atoms interact with ligands through primary and secondary valence, effectively shifting the understanding of inorganic structures.
Academic Formation and Early Career
Born in Mulhouse in 1866, Werner was raised in a Roman Catholic family as the fourth child of Jean-Adam Werner, a foundry worker, and Salomé Jeannette Werner. He began his scientific training at the Swiss Federal Institute in Zurich. Due to the institute's inability to grant doctorates at the time, he obtained his degree from the University of Zurich in 1890. Following a period of postdoctoral research in Paris, he returned to Zurich in 1892 to teach and joined the faculty at the University of Zurich in 1893, securing a professorship by 1895.
Twenty questions, eight minutes on the clock, and a percentile measured against everyone who has taken it. No sign-up.
Take the IQ test →Advances in Coordination Chemistry
Werner revolutionized the study of complex ions by proposing that a central transition metal atom is surrounded by ligands at specific geometric vertices. He utilized the compound CoCl3•6NH3 to illustrate this, formulating it as [Co(NH3)6]Cl3. By measuring aqueous solution conductivity and performing chloride anion analysis, he verified that the three chlorine atoms dissociated as free ions, while the six ammonia molecules remained linked to the central cobalt ion in an octahedral arrangement.
Valence and Isomerism
His research extended to explaining geometric isomers, such as the distinct green and purple varieties of tetramine cobalt complexes, which he identified as trans and cis configurations. He defined the primary valence as the oxidation state and the secondary valence as the coordination number. These concepts paved the way for future developments, including the octet rule formulated by Gilbert N. Lewis in 1916. In 1914, Werner also reported the first synthetic chiral compound without carbon.
Final Years
Werner became a Swiss citizen in 1894 and maintained a career dedicated to organic and physical chemistry. Toward the end of his life, he suffered from progressive, degenerative arteriosclerosis of the brain, a condition exacerbated by overwork and excessive alcohol consumption. He died in a psychiatric hospital in Zurich on 15 November 1919 at the age of 52 and is buried at Rehalp Cemetery.
Fast facts
- Born: 1866, Mulhouse
- Died: 15 November 1919, Zurich
- Citizenship: France; Switzerland
- Education: ETH Zurich; University of Zurich
- Nobel Prize in Chemistry: 1913
- Notable Publication: Lehrbuch der Stereochemie (1904)
- Burial site: Rehalp Cemetery
Questions readers ask
What is Werner's primary scientific contribution?
He proposed the octahedral configuration of transition metal complexes, establishing the basis for modern coordination chemistry.
Was Werner the first inorganic chemist to win a Nobel Prize?
Yes, he was the first inorganic chemist to receive the Nobel Prize in Chemistry and remained the only one until 1973.
