History of the Institute

In 1848, the 1st Chemical Institute was established under the leadership of Josef Redtenbacher. Initially located at the Theresianum, it was relocated to Währingerstraße 10 in 1872. Redtenbacher modernized chemical education and focused his research primarily on the analysis of plant compounds. Franz Coelestin Schneider succeeded Redtenbacher, laying the foundation for forensic toxicology in Austria. In 1876, Ludwig Barth zu Bartenau became the head of the 1st Chemical Institute. One notable example of Barth's research was his determination of the structure of the amino acid tyrosine, recognizing it as hydroxylated phenylalanine.

The 2nd Chemical Institute was founded in 1870. Friedrich Rochleder became its first director, positioning organic synthesis and natural product chemistry as central research areas at the University of Vienna. In 1875, the long era of Adolf Lieben at the 2nd Chemical Institute began, lasting over 30 years. During this time, Lieben established a new school of organic chemistry in Vienna, with his numerous doctoral students exerting a significant influence on the further development of this field. He engaged in intensive exchanges with international colleagues – a role that could be described as that of a "networker" today – and in 1880, he co-founded the journal Monatshefte für Chemie together with Ludwig Barth zu Bartenau—a journal that continues to exist today. Under his leadership, Margarethe Furcht became the first woman to earn a chemistry degree from the University of Vienna in 1902. Well-known examples of Lieben's research include the Iodoform reaction, named after him, and pioneering work on aldehyde condensation. At the end of the 19th century, Carl Auer von Welsbach developed new separation methods for rare earth elements at the 2nd Chemical Institute and significantly improved gas lighting procedures.

For a few decades, a 3rd Chemical Institute also existed. It was initially located at the premises of the Handelsakademie on Karlsplatz and later in buildings of the old University in Bäckerstraße. Ernst Ludwig became the first director of this institute in 1871, followed by Eduard Lippmann, who primarily focused on anthracene derivatives. In 1909, the 3rd Chemical Institute was dissolved and integrated into the 2nd Chemical Institute. In the same year, construction began on the new Chemistry building at Währingerstraße 38–42; however, its completion was delayed until 1918. Hugo Weidel succeeded Ludwig Barth zu Bartenau as the head of the 1st Chemical Institute. He became known for his work on isolating pyridines from tar. After Weidel's passing, Josef Herzig temporarily led the institute before assuming the chair at the newly established Institute of Pharmaceutical Chemistry in 1913. Rudolf Wegscheider became the head of the 1st Chemical Institute in 1902. Wegscheider is considered one of the pioneers of physical chemistry in Austria and developed significant theories on reaction kinetics. Polymer chemist Hermann Mark became the institute's director in 1932 but, like many others, was forced to leave the University of Vienna in 1938 after being arrested and interrogated by the Gestapo.

In 1906, Zdenko Hans Skraup, who had already gained recognition for his research on cinchona alkaloids, succeeded Adolf Lieben at the 2nd Chemical Institute. Unfortunately, his era was short-lived, ending with his early death in 1911. Guido Goldschmiedt then took over as director, continuing the work in the field of alkaloids. In 1916, Wilhelm Schlenk, one of the founders of organometallic chemistry, was appointed to the chair at the 2nd Chemical Institute. After Schlenk moved to the University of Berlin, Adolf Franke provisionally led the institute for three years before Ernst Späth became the head in 1924. Späth conducted research on alkaloids, particularly tobacco alkaloids, and developed the first synthesis of mescaline, among other achievements. From 1937 to 1938, Ernst Späth served as the rector of the University of Vienna and, from 1945, as the president of the Academy of Sciences. After World War II, Friedrich Wessely became the head of the 2nd Chemical Institute. While Wessely focused on the chemistry of organometallic compounds, Friedrich Galinovsky continued research on natural products. During the same period, due to resource scarcity, a research group led by Karl Kratzl was tasked with investigating the usability of wood processing residues.

In 1959, various chemical institutes, including the Institute of Organic Chemistry, were founded. Ulrich Schmid became a professor in 1967, specializing in amino acid synthesis and peptide chemistry. Karl Schlögl succeeded him as the head of the institute in 1971, focusing on various stereochemistry-related questions. Erich Zbiral worked on carbohydrate derivatives, Vitamin D3 analogs, and phosphorus-organic compounds. In 1996, Johann Mulzer and Udo Brinker took on professorships in Organic Chemistry. While Johann Mulzer accomplished the total synthesis of numerous natural products and advanced essential synthetic methods, Udo Brinker's group researched applications of highly reactive synthetic intermediates, particularly carbenes. In 2004, Walther Schmid became another professor at the institute, contributing to new methods in the field of carbohydrates. Since 2013, Nuno Maulide and his group have been researching new synthetic methods based on rearrangement and umpolung reactions, the total syntheses of complex natural products, and potential applications of organic molecules in the context of biological and medical research. Since 2020, Davide Bonifazi has held a professorship at the Institute of Organic Chemistry, where he and his research group explore organic materials and new aspects of supramolecular chemistry. With the establishment of the Institute of Biological Chemistry (2011) and the Institute of Chemical Catalysis (2014), two additional teaching and research facilities were founded, partially emerging from the Institute of Organic Chemistry.

References:

R. Rosner und R.W. Soukup, Die chemischen Institute der Universität Wien

aus Reflexive Innensichten aus der Universität: Disziplinengeschichten zwischen Wissenschaft, Gesellschaft und Politik. Vandenhoeck und Ruprecht, 2015.