The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1913

Alfred Werner

The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1913 was awarded to Alfred Werner "in recognition of his work on the linkage of atoms in molecules by which he has thrown new light on earlier investigations and opened up new fields of research especially in inorganic chemistry".

Swiss chemist Alfred Werner is regarded as a founding father of modern inorganic stereochemistry. In 1893 he proposed a new theory of variable valence, describing the molecular structure of inorganic compounds as consisting of a central atom surrounded by a three-dimensional arrangement of a specific number of other atoms, molecules, ions, or radicals, all governed by simple geometrical principles. He said that he had woken in the middle of the night with a sudden realization of the answer to the riddle of molecular structure, began writing at once, and continued writing until dawn, providing the first correct analysis of the structures for coordination compounds containing complex ions.
He introduced the more fully-realized Coordination theory of chemistry in 1901, and published an influential book on the subject in 1904. Though widely rejected by scientists for several years, his theory led to better explanations of the properties of observed compounds, and it gained acceptance as Warner and his students were able to identify dozens of previously unknown compounds and synthesize dozens more. In 1905 he offered a reorganization of the periodic table, moving the lanthanide elements ("rare earths" with atomic numbers 58-71) to a separate place in the table, where they remain today. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1913.
Werner was born in the the French region of Alsace, which came under German control through the Franco-Prussian war while he was still a child. His family considered themselves French, and he spoke and was educated in both the French and German languages. He became a naturalized Swiss citizen in his 20s, and spent his career in Zürich, where he died at the age of 53 in 1919.

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