Ernst Otto Fischer
Fischer, Ernst Otto (1918-), a German inorganic chemist, carried out research into synthetic compounds of organic substances and metals. Fischer and British chemist Geoffrey Wilkinson were awarded the 1973 Nobel Prize in chemistry for their independent work on the chemistry of organometallic, or “sandwich,” compounds. Organometalic compounds contain both a carbon atom and a metal atom. In a sandwich compound, metal atoms bond to carbon atoms in a layered or “sandwich” formation.
Fischer was born in Solln, Germany, a suburb of Munich, in 1918. His father was a physics professor at the Technische Hochschule in Munich. Following his graduation from high school in 1937, Fischer served two years of mandatory service in the German army. His term of service was extended when World War II (1939-1945) began. During a break from his military service in the winter of 1941-1942, Fischer began studying chemistry at the Technische Hochschule in Munich.
During the war, Fischer was captured by the Americans and held in a prisoner of war camp until the fall of 1945, when he was repatriated. He resumed his chemistry studies in 1946 and received his doctorate in 1952 for research on carbon-to-nickel bonds. He conducted postdoctoral studies at the Munich Technische Hochschule, and began lecturing and working there as an assistant professor in 1955. He moved to the University of Munich in 1957, where he taught and continued his research. In 1964, he returned to the Technische Hochschule (by then renamed the Technische Universität, or Technical University) as the director for the Institute for Inorganic Chemistry.
While at the Technische Hochschule in the 1950's, Fischer began research into a previously discovered synthetic compound whose composition was unknown. Both Fischer and Wilkinson were working independently to determine the makeup of this compound, originally called dicyclopentadienyl iron and now known as ferrocene. Wilkinson proposed that the compound consisted of an iron atom “sandwiched” between two parallel hydrocarbon rings. Using X-ray crystallography, Fischer confirmed this structure. This work would earn Wilkinson and Fischer the 1973 Nobel Prize in chemistry. The Nobel committee described this award as a prize in “chemistry for chemists,” meaning that while the practical applications of Wilkinson's and Fischer's work were not readily apparent, their findings would ultimately change the discipline of chemistry itself.
In the decade after Fischer published his findings about ferrocene, he and his team of researchers went on to study other organometallic compounds. His work on dibenzenechromium, a sandwich compound made up of chromium and benzene molecules, was especially noteworthy because it had previously been assumed that those two elements—both neutral—could not be combined.
Fischer began lecturing about transition metal chemistry in locations as diverse as the United States, Australia, Brazil, Venezuela, Israel, Lebanon, and many European countries, including those of the former Soviet Union. He was a visiting professor at the University of Florida at Gainesville in 1971, and a visiting professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1973.
During this era, Fischer and his team at the Techsniche Universität continued research on organometallic compounds. They synthesized the first carbene and carbyne complexes, which spurred research into transitional metals. His work contributed to technical advances in a variety of industries. In the pharmaceutical industry, his work led to the development of catalysts, or substances that enable chemical reactions to occur faster or under different conditions than would otherwise be possible. In the oil-refining industry, his work has helped in the development of low-lead fuels.
Fischer also wrote or co-wrote several books, including Metal [pi]-Complexes (1966) and Transition Metal Carbene Complexes (1983).