chemistry

Wilhelm Schuler

Wilhelm Schuler is a chemistry topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Wilhelm Schuler rather than just read about it. In short: Wilhelm Alfons Schuler (27 December 1914 in Ulm, Germany – 5 June 2010 in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany) was a chemist, inventor and entrepreneur in the second half of the 20th century. Biography Schuler studied chemistry at the Königliche Technische Hochschule zu Danzig from 1934 onwards.

Key takeaways

Wilhelm Schuler belongs to chemistry; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Wilhelm Schuler to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Wilhelm Schuler from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Wilhelm Alfons Schuler (27 December 1914 in Ulm, Germany – 5 June 2010 in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany) was a chemist, inventor and entrepreneur in the second half of the 20th century.

Biography Schuler studied chemistry at the Königliche Technische Hochschule zu Danzig from 1934 onwards. After he obtained the title of Diplomchemiker (~Master of Chemistry) in 1939 he was drafted to the Wehrmacht. Just after 6 months of service he was discharged after Paul Rabe (Universität Hamburg) requested Schuler for important research projects in the field of pharmaceutical ingredients at the University of Danzig. Schuler worked in the research group of Henry Albers studying organic phosphorus compounds. In 1941 he received his PhD. He remained at the University of Danzig as assistant to Henry Albers, working on alkaloids. In 1944 Schuler started working on his professorial dissertation. Shortly before the end of World War II he joined the University of Hamburg. In the research group of Ilse Esdorn (1897–1985) he worked on the analysis of natural products, mainly alkaloids, glucosides and mucus from medicinal plants. He discovered a method for the production of a gelling agent made from heather, erica. This method became popular in the food and cosmetics industry. Schuler licensed the process to the company Spangenberg . With this income Schuler—only 32 years old—was able to start his own business. Together with a partner he founded “Dr. Schuler & Lange, Chemisches und Pharmazeutisches Laboratorium GmbH, Hamburg”. Schuler & Lange produced drug ingredients and performed pharmaceutical contract research. The main client for chemical research was the company Promonta, which later merged with Byk Gulden (today Altana). In cooperation with the biologist and pharmacologist Otto Nieschulz a couple of highly successful drugs were developed, amongst them:

the neuroleptic drug Pecazine [Pacatal(D)], the antihistaminic drug Kolton (D), an 8-chlorotheophylline salt of diphenylpyraline, and Vaditon (D), a special galenic form of pyramidones, which could now be applied by injection. In 1953 Degussa AG offered Schuler a rather unusual contract which allowed him to continue and expand his "private entrepreneurial activities" whilst working for Degussa. Schuler started as head of pharmaceutical research at the Degussa subsidiary (Chemiewerk Homburg). In this position Schuler was very creative and successful. In 1959 Wilhelm Schuler became head of the entire Degussa research and implemented new structures to their R&D-department. Schuler focused on the development of zeolites as components in detergents, the development of automotive catalysts and various further strategic solutions, which are paramount for Evonik Degussa GmbH and other companies until today. Schuler was an inspiring mentor for the chemists Gunther Dittrich, Rudolf Fahnenstich, Axel Kleemann, Peter Kleinschmit, Heribert Offermanns and Gerd Schreyer (selection). In 1960 Schuler further expanded his “private” activities and founded Loftus Bryan Chem. Ltd. in County Wicklow, Ireland. 20 years later the company was sold to the US pharma giant Schering-Plough. In 1982 Wilhelm Schuler and his daughter started a new company, Iropharm Ltd., again in Ireland. It focused on the production of generic pharmaceutical ingredients and intermediates. In 1997 this company was sold to Allied Signal and was later acquired by Sigma-Aldrich. Schuler lived most of his life in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe. He is also buried there. He is survived by his daughter Beate.

Literature Immer eine Idee besser, published by Degussa AG, Frankfurt am Main (Germany) 1998, pp 238–258, written by Axel Kleemann „Aufbau einer modernen Chemieforschung – Wilhelm Schuler“, ISBN 3-00-002389-5.

References

Illustrations

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Wilhelm Schuler

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Wilhelm Schuler claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In chemistry, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Wilhelm Schuler before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Wilhelm Schuler ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Wilhelm Schuler

In research: Wilhelm Schuler appears in chemistry research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Wilhelm Schuler in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Wilhelm Schuler is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1914 births, 2010 deaths, 20th-century German chemists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Wilhelm Schuler outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

Ask Teacher Smith questions about this articleOpens your AI tutor with a question about “Wilhelm Schuler” →

Affiliate

Preply — study more efficiently by working with a personal tutor. 50% off.

How to study Wilhelm Schuler in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Wilhelm Schuler means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Wilhelm Schuler out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Wilhelm Schuler in simple terms?

Wilhelm Alfons Schuler (27 December 1914 in Ulm, Germany – 5 June 2010 in Bad Homburg vor der Höhe, Germany) was a chemist, inventor and entrepreneur in the second half of the 20th century. Biography Schuler studied chemistry at the Königliche Technische Hochschule zu Danzig from 1934 onwards.

Why does Wilhelm Schuler matter?

Because it connects several chemistry ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Wilhelm Schuler?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Wilhelm Schuler.