Zeise, William

William Christopher Zeise (1789-1847) was a Danish apothecary and professor in Copenhagen, Denmark. He synthesized the first metal-olefin complex by serendipity (this term is explained in Chapter 4), when he treated platinum(IV) chloride with ethanol and potassium chloride K[PtCl3( -C2H4)], sal kalico-platinicus inflammabilis , cf [73], TT-Complexation of olefins at transition metals nowadays comprises a key feature of homogeneous catalysis in terms of olefin activation, with the Wacker-Hoechst process being a prominent example (cf. Section 2.4.1). 

Zeise s Salt - from Curiosity to Model Substance , L. F. Olsson, in William Christopher Zeise - en dansk kemiker, ed. T. Morsing, Dansk Selskab for Historisk Kemi, Historisk-kemiske skrifter nr. 2, 1990, 57-72. 

The first metal complex identified as an organometallic compound was a salt, K(C2H4)PtCl3, obtained from reaction of ethylene with platinum (II) chloride by William Zeise in 1825. It was not until much later (1951-1952) that the correct structure of Zeise s compound (see Figure 1) was reported in connection with the structure of a metallocene compound known as ferrocene (see Figure 2). 

Zeise s salt (2), made in 1827 by the Danish chemist William Christopher Zeise, is an unusual-looking anion, wherein a planar charged PtClj moiety is linked to an ethylene molecule hanging in the air near the platinum. ... 

The University of Copenhagen was founded in 1479. The first professorship of chemistry was primarily a chair of physics and it was established in 1753 at the faculty of medicine. From 1806, the chair was transferred to the faculty of arts simultaneously with the appointment of Hans Christian 0rsted as professor. 0rsted was instrumental in the establishment of the first full professorship of chemistry in 1822, to which William Christopher Zeise was appointed. When... 

In Denmark there is a rich tradition for sulfur chemistry dating back to the early studies by William Christoffer Zeise (25). In 1832 Zeise discovered mercaptans and realized that the sulfur in these compounds "fills the place of oxygen in alcohol"(2(5). Except for the Ni(E) complex of the ligand ethylthiolate, prepared by P. Claesson in 1877, the coordination chemistry of this important class of compounds has been developed only in recent years. Jensen attacked s difficult topic very early. In 1934... 

The field of organometallic chemistry, concerned with compounds involving metal-carbon bonds, has also expanded enormously since the 1940s. Mention has already been made of Grignard reagents (Chapter 10) and the zinc alkyls discovered by Frankland (Chapter 8). Predating Frankland s work was the discovery in 1827 by William Christopher Zeise (1789-1847) of the salt which was for many years named after him and is now known as potassium trichloro-(ethylene)platinate(ll) monohydrate (Figure 12.13). Many other platinum-alkene... 

The fact that there was no successful Danish utilisation of coal tar for organic synthesis can be partly explained by the small quantities of coal tar available, and partly by a lack of organic chemists. After the death of professor William Christopher Zeise (1789-1847), organic chemistry in Denmark came to a standstill. The situation did not improve until Biilmann was promoted professor at Copenhagen University in 1907. 

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