OBITUARY

DOI:10.1002/zaac.201190456

Kurt Dehnicke

22.04.1931�16.01.2011

The publishers of the Zeitschrift für anorganische und allgemeine Chemie,Verlag Wiley-VCH, friends, colleagues and students mourn the loss of Profes-sor Kurt Dehnicke, who passed away on the 16th January, 2011, following anincurable illness borne with dignity and patience. Our sympathy goes out tohis family.

Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 2011, 1627�1631 © 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim www.zaac.wiley-vch.de 1627

OBITUARY

Kurt Dehnicke was born in Cologne on the 22ndApril, 1931. He spent is younger days in Leipzig. Be-fore he was allowed to take up his chemistry studiesat the University of Leipzig in 1950 he was for a yearlaboratory assistant at the Böhlen lignite company. In1954 he concluded his Diploma studies under Leo-pold Wolf. In 1955 he had to cut short his subsequentpost-graduate work and he fled the repression of theGDR regime to West Germany. He found a new sci-entific home with Josef Goubeau at the TechnicalUniversity of Stuttgart; it was with him that he com-pleted a new doctoral thesis.

The scientific atmosphere and especially the humanrelationships within the work group of Josef Gou-beau, who generously fostered and supported his as-sistants in the free choice of their research topics, un-doubtedly made an impression on him.

On concluding his post doctoral studies in 1957 heworked as scientific assistant on a research area of hisown with reactions of compounds of electropositivechlorine (ClF, Cl2O, ClONO2, ClN3), which yieldedanhydrous compounds such as SnCl2F2, VO2Cl andTiCl3�N3 with metal chlorides. With this work heobtained his Habilitation in 1965.

In 1968 Kurt Dehnicke was appointed to a chair forinorganic chemistry at Marburg University. There in1970/71 he was the last dean of the Mathematics-Na-tural Sciences Faculty which was abolished by statutein 1971 and replaced by departments. He was electedfounding dean of the new Chemistry Department.

Kurt Dehnicke seized the chance, and with his orga-nisational talent and charm persuaded the depart-ment to adopt a new structure and organisation: itwas on the one hand a common administration andinfrastructure, with large-scale equipment which wasaccessible to all scientists, and on the other the alloca-tion of funds and positions to the work groups accor-ding the actual need in place of a predefined key. Col-leagues at other universities initially found this to bestrange, but success proved him right. The organiza-tion proved to be most fruitful for scientific researchin the Chemistry Department of Marburg University,and it was especially beneficial for young scientists.

Kurt Dehnicke enthused his co-workers for researchwith a wealth of ideas, which manifested itself in 820scientific publications. This found recognition in theaward of the Wilhelm Klemm Prize of the GDCh

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(1989), the election as peer reviewer (1988�1992) andthen as deputy chairman of the inorganic chemistrycommittee of experts (1991�1992) at the DeutscheForschungsgemeinschaft, and by the award of an ho-norary doctorate at Leipzig University (1996).

Preparative inorganic chemistry was always the cen-tral theme of the scientific work of Kurt Dehnicke. Oneof the main topics was the synthesis of nitrides and nit-rido complexes of transition metals with terminal me-tal-nitrogen multiple bonds (e.g. [F4Mo�N]�) or withsymmetrical und unsymmetrical nitrido bridges (e.g.[Br5Ta�N�TaBr5]�, [�Cl4Re�N�Cl4Re�N�]; justa few simple examples are highlighted here). Highlylabile starting materials were often used as startingmaterials in synthesis, such as chloroazide or NCl3.Azides were formed as initial products of the reaction ofmetal halides with chloroazide, from which thenitrides were then obtained. Reactions of the nitrideswith PCl3 or PPh3 led to phosphaniminato complexessuch as [Cl5Mo�NPCl3]�. Other phosphaniminatocomplexes could be obtained with Me3SiNPPh3 (e.g.[Ta(NPPh3)4]TaCl6, [Cl2Al(NPPh3)]2). Sometimesquite unusual compounds were obtained, for examplehalogenonitrenes with the atom group M�N�X(X � Cl, Br, I, e.g. Cl3V�N�I) or the carbonateion isosteric ligand N4

4� in [Cl5W�N�N(�N)�N�WCl5]2� ion. In 1995 he initiated the DFG focusprogram „Nitrido bridges“.

Chlorothionitrenes and thionitrosyls (e.g. [Cl3Re-(�N�S)(�N�S�Cl)]2�) were obtained from the nitri-les by reaction with sulfur or S2Cl2. Such compounds,however, were obtained mainly from metal halides with(NSCl)3 (e.g. Cl4Os(�N�S�Cl)2). In addition cyclo-thiazeno complexes with the chelate ligand N3S2

3� wereobtained from (NSCl)3 and metal carbonyls (e.g.[MoCl3(N3S2)]2S2�N2). In turn novel ligands such asNSN4� in [Cl5W�N�S�N�WCl5]2� or the chelateligand N�S�S�N2� in [Cl4Re(N2S2)]� were obtainedfrom the chlorothionitrenes. Further emphases werework on polyselenides (e.g. bicyclic Se10

2�) andpolychalcogenido complexes (e.g. [Zn(Se4)(Se6)] 2-),alkine complexes (e.g. [Br5W(BrCsCBr)]�) and nitrosylcomplexes.

From his retirement (in 1999) to 2010 Kurt Dehni-cke continued to experiment intensively in the labora-tory when he synthesised numerous new compoundsof beryllium. Even in January 2011 he published workon a compound with a Be3O3 ring.

OBITUARY

Following on from his mentor Goubeau, Kurt Deh-nicke primarily used vibrational spectroscopy for theelucidation of structures and bonding relationships ofthe numerous compounds.

After German reunification Kurt Dehnicke becameparticularly engaged in promoting the chemistry de-partments at Potsdam and Leipzig Universities.

Kurt Dehnicke was initiator of Chemikum, an institu-tion in Marburg devoted to wakening interest in che-mistry amongst the public at large. He provided experi-mental lectures and the possibility to carry out non-ha-zardous experiments themselves � even for blind peo-ple. These were widely applauded by children and youngpeople. In 2010 the town of Marburg honoured his com-mitment with the award of the Historic Town Seal.

Marburg, October 2011

Ulrich Müller

Z. Anorg. Allg. Chem. 2011, 1627�1631 © 2011 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim www.zaac.wiley-vch.de 1629

From 1997 to 2007 his involvement as Editor ofthe journal the Zeitschrift für anorganische undAllgemeine Chemie ensured a high quality ofthe publication. His experience and advice helpedmany young authors to improve their publications.Most of his own publications appeared in thisjournal.

We have lost a grand master of preparative che-mistry who with sharp mind and rapid perception po-sed critical and sometimes dreaded questions. He hada sense of justice which he also applied against hims-elf, dealt in good faith and with friendliness towardshis colleagues and subordinates, and always had asense of humour. We will always honour the memoryof Kurt Dehnicke.