Curriculum Vitae

Scientific Background

1941-46 Elementary School in Rüsselsheim and Karben (Germany)
1946-55 High school (Gymnasium) in Rüsselsheim
1955-61 Technische Hochschule Darmstadt (Inorganic, Organic, Analytical, Technical and Physical Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics)
Diplom-Ingenieur "Mit Auszeichnung"
Master's thesis in Physical Inorganic Chemistry
Academic Prize of Technical University of Darmstadt for best thesis
1961-63 Ph.D. thesis "Surface Investigations Using the BET-Method and Heterogeneous Isotope Exchange on Barium Sulfate", Ph.D."Mit Auszeichnung"
1964 Postdoctoral research stay at "Centre d'Etudes Nucléaires à Saclay in France (Paris), 6 months
1964-65 Postdoctoral research stay in Brookhaven National Laboratory (USA), work on Mössbauer spectroscopy of transition metal compounds
1966 Return to Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, research work towards "Habilitation" ("Applications of Mössbauer Spectroscopy in Inorganic Chemistry")
1966-70 Participation in Theoretical Chemistry Schools: C.A. Coulson (Oxford), P.O. Löwdin (Uppsala), H. Hartmann (Frankfurt)
1969 Habilitation in Inorganic Chemistry and Nuclear Chemistry
1972 Professor of Theoretical Inorganic Chemistry at Technische Hochschule Darmstadt
1974 2 offers for Full-Professorships

  1. Chair of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University of Mainz
  2. Chair of Theoretical Inorganic Chemistry, University of Hamburg
1975 Professorship at Mainz University accepted
1989-1991 Dean of the Department of Chemistry and Pharmacy, University Mainz
1996-2001 Director of the Institute of Inorganic and Analytical Chemistry, University Mainz
April 2001 Professor Emeritus

Memberships

  • Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker
  • Bunsengesellschaft für Physikalische Chemie
  • Deutsche Gesellschaft für Metallkunde (until 2001)
  • Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft
  • American Chemical Society (for ca. 30 years, until 2001)
  • Chemical Society of London (for ca. 30 years, until 2001)

Guestprofessorships

  • University of Geneva and Bern in Switzerland (1985)
  • University of Lima/Peru (for UNESCO, 1985)
  • Tamkang University Taipei (1986)
  • University of Louvain-la-Neuve/ Belgium (1991)
  • University of Fribourg/Switzerland (1994)
  • Ochanomizu University Tokyo (1994)
  • Université Pierre et Marie Curie, Paris (1997)
  • Vienna University of Technology (1998)
  • Toho University Tokyo (2007)

Awards and Honors

1961: Academic Prize of Technische Hochschule Darmstadt

1964: Fellowship of German Gouvernment for research stay in France

1965: Fellowship of Volkswagen-Foundation for research stay in USA

1989: Research Award of Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science

1993: Max Planck Research Award

2002: Honorary Member of the Internat. Board on the Applications of the Mössbauer Effect

2002: Foreign Member of the Russian Academy of Natural Science

2003: Honorary Doctor and Professor of the University of Budapest

2007: Member of Academia Europaea

2007: Honorary Doctor of Toho-University Tokyo

Teaching Experience

Physical Methods in (Inorganic) Chemistry
Theoretical Inorganic Chemistry

  • Introduction to Quantum Mechanics
  • Electrons in Atoms and Molecules
  • Ligand Field Theory
  • Molecular Orbital Theory
  • Group Theory

Coordination Chemistry
Magnetochemistry

Research fields

Electronic structure (static and dynamic) of transition metal compounds

  • Bond and valence state properties
  • Molecular structure
  • Spin crossover (thermally, optically and pressure-induced)
  • Magnetic properties
  • Photochemical and photophysical phenomena
  • Phase transformations
  • Kinetic and thermodynamic properties
  • Chemical and physical aftereffects of nuclear transformation

Surface physics and chemistry

  • Thin metallic layers by Langmuir-Blodgett technique
  • Corrosion
  • Structure and reactivity on glass surfaces

Industrial applications of Mössbauer spectroscopy

  • Magnetic and optical recording material
  • Battery material
  • Glasses
  • Corrosion

Research equipment

  • ca. 8 Mössbauer spectrometers for transmission, scattering, CEMS, DECEMS, time-integral and time-differential measurements, also under pressure or in applied magnetic field and variable temperature (≥2K)
  • 2 Magnetometers (Foner, SQUID) for 350 ≥T ≥2 K
  • ESCA-spectrometer
  • AUGER-spectrometer
  • UV/Vis spectrometer, also for single crystals in the range 300 ≥T  5 K
  • Raman spectrometer, T-dependent in the range 1500 ≥ T ≥ 4 K
  • FT-FIR spectrometer, T-dependent in the range 300 ≥ T ≥ 4K
  • Single crystal X-ray diffractometer, T-dependent 300 ≥ T ≥ 10 K, CCD

Publications

  • ca. 460 original papers
  • 1 book ("Mössbauer Spectroscopy and Transition Metal Chemistry")
  • Chapters in ca. 15 books
  • Editor (together with N. Sutin, USA) of "Comments on Inorganic Chemistry", which was launched in 1981)
  • Editor of proceedings of 5 Seeheim Workshops on Mössbauer Spectroscopy
  • Editor (with H.A. Goodwin) of the series of ”Spin Crossover Transition Metal Compounds, 3 volumes (Nr. 233, 234, 235) in Topics in Current Chemistry (Springer), 2004
  • Book ”Mössbauer Spectroscopy and Transition Metal Chemistry”, Second Edition, Springer-Verlag, 2010

Seminars and Presentations

  • More than 300 Invited Talks/Plenary Lectures
  • Ca. 500 contributions to conferences (oral and posters)