Chemiker at University of Göttingen, Germany.
Prof. Dr. Herbert W. Roesky is one of the most influential figures in modern inorganic chemistry, recognized for his prolific contributions to fluorine and main group element chemistry. With a career spanning over six decades, he has authored more than 1,000 peer-reviewed articles, six scientific books, and holds multiple patents. A dedicated educator and global scientific ambassador, he has been awarded over 30 prestigious national and international honors, including the Leibniz Award, Alfred Stock Memorial Award, ACS Award in Inorganic Chemistry, and the Blaise Pascal Medal. He is a member of numerous academies including Leopoldina, Academia Europaea, and the French Academy of Sciences, and has held honorary doctorates from institutions in China, France, India, the USA, and Europe.
Publication Profile
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Educational Details
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1961 – Diploma in Chemistry, Thesis: “Construction of a Thermo-Balance”
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1963 – Doctorate (Dr. rer. nat.), Thesis: “Fluorination Reactions under High Pressures”
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1967 – Habilitation in Inorganic Chemistry, Thesis: “Chemistry of Substituted Phosphates”
Professional Experience
Prof. Dr. Roesky began his research career in fluorine chemistry and coordination compounds. Following a postdoctoral stay at DuPont in Wilmington, Delaware (1965), where he worked on aluminum and coordination chemistry, he embarked on a distinguished academic path. From 1971 to 1980, he served as Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at Johann Wolfgang Goethe University in Frankfurt, where he also directed the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry (1973–1976). In 1980, he was appointed Director of the Institute of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Göttingen, a position he held until his retirement in 2004. He also served as Dean of the Chemistry Department (1985–1987) and President of the Göttingen Academy of Sciences (2003). He has held adjunct, honorary, and visiting professorships at numerous universities worldwide including Auburn, Tokyo Tech, Kyoto, Iowa, Texas, Beijing, and IIT Bombay.
Research Interest
Prof. Roesky is internationally renowned for his pioneering work in:
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Fluorine and main group chemistry
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Synthesis and structure of inorganic and organometallic compounds
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Low-valent and low-coordinate main group elements
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Inorganic materials and solid-state chemistry
Author Metrics
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Total Citations: 50,739
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h-index: 96
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i10-index: 1,043
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Publications: Over 1,000+ peer-reviewed papers
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Books Authored: 6
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Patents: Numerous in the fields of fluorine and inorganic chemistry
Top Noted Publication
1. Title: The interplay of coordinative, hydrogen bonding and π–π stacking interactions in sustaining supramolecular solid-state architectures.: A study case of bis(4-pyridyl)- and bis(4-pyridyl-N-oxide) tectons
Authors: H.W. Roesky, M. Andruh
Journal: Coordination Chemistry Reviews
Volume: 236, Issue: 1–2, Pages: 91–119
Year: 2003
Citations: 851
DOI: 10.1016/S0010-8545(02)00331-7
2. Title: Hetero- and metallasiloxanes derived from silanediols, disilanols, silanetriols, and trisilanols
Authors: R. Murugavel, A. Voigt, M.G. Walawalkar, H.W. Roesky
Journal: Chemical Reviews
Volume: 96, Issue: 6, Pages: 2205–2236
Year: 1996
Citations: 698
DOI: 10.1021/cr9500446
3. Title: Synthesis and Structure of a Monomeric Aluminum(I) Compound [{HC(CMeNAr)₂}Al] (Ar = 2,6-iPr₂C₆H₃): A Stable Aluminum Analogue of a Carbene
Authors: C. Cui, H.W. Roesky, H.G. Schmidt, M. Noltemeyer, H. Hao, F. Cimpoesu
Journal: Angewandte Chemie (German Edition)
Volume: 112, Issue: 23, Pages: 4444–4446
Year: 2000
Citations: 623
DOI: 10.1002/1521-3757(20001201)112:23<4444::AID-ANGE4444>3.0.CO;2-P
4. Title: Lewis base stabilized dichlorosilylene
Authors: R.S. Ghadwal, H.W. Roesky, S. Merkel, J. Henn, D. Stalke
Journal: Angewandte Chemie International Edition
Volume: 48, Issue: 31, Pages: 5683–5686
Year: 2009
Citations: 510
DOI: 10.1002/anie.200901416
5. Title: The chemistry of aluminum(I), silicon(II), and germanium(II)
Authors: S. Nagendran, H.W. Roesky
Journal: Organometallics
Volume: 27, Issue: 4, Pages: 457–492
Year: 2008
Citations: 480
DOI: 10.1021/om700964c
6. Title: Synthesis and characterization of [PhC(NtBu)₂]SiCl: a stable monomeric chlorosilylene
Authors: C.W. So, H.W. Roesky, J. Magull, R.B. Oswald
Journal: Angewandte Chemie (German Edition)
Volume: 118, Issue: 24, Pages: 4052
Year: 2006
Citations: 399
DOI: 10.1002/ange.200504155
7. Title: Organometallic Fluorides: Compounds Containing Carbon–Metal–Fluorine Fragments of d-Block Metals
Authors: E.F. Murphy, R. Murugavel, H.W. Roesky
Journal: Chemical Reviews
Volume: 97, Issue: 8, Pages: 3425–3468
Year: 1997
Citations: 358
DOI: 10.1021/cr960370d
8. Title: High Yield Access to Silylene RSiCl (R = PhC(NtBu)₂) and Its Reactivity toward Alkyne: Synthesis of Stable Disilacyclobutene
Authors: S.S. Sen, H.W. Roesky, D. Stern, J. Henn, D. Stalke
Journal: Journal of the American Chemical Society
Volume: 132, Issue: 3, Pages: 1123–1126
Year: 2010
Citations: 319
DOI: 10.1021/ja908899p
9. Title: Transformations of molecules and secondary building units to materials: a bottom-up approach
Authors: R. Murugavel, M.G. Walawalkar, M. Dan, H.W. Roesky, C.N.R. Rao
Journal: Accounts of Chemical Research
Volume: 37, Issue: 10, Pages: 763–774
Year: 2004
Citations: 299
DOI: 10.1021/ar030048l
10. Title: A Simple Synthesis of [(CpAl)₄] and Its Conversion to the Heterocubanes [(CpAlSe)₄] and [(CpAlTe)₄] (Cp* = η⁵-C₅(CH₃)₅)*
Authors: S. Schulz, H.W. Roesky, H.J. Koch, G.M. Sheldrick, D. Stalke, A. Kuhn
Journal: Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English
Volume: 32, Issue: 12, Pages: 1729–1731
Year: 1993
Citations: 281
DOI: 10.1002/anie.199317291
Conclusion
Prof. Dr. Herbert W. Roesky is a textbook example of an ideal candidate for the Excellence in Research Award. His pioneering discoveries, long-term global impact, exceptional citation metrics, highly prestigious awards, and research leadership overwhelmingly support his nomination. Any minor limitations (such as the natural decrease in first-author publications post-retirement) do not diminish his towering contributions to chemistry and science at large.