Ferdinand Münz (1888-1969) was an Austrian chemist who first synthesized EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) at IG Farben in 1935, patented both in Germany (anonymously) and in the USA [1] (with his name), with the aim of producing a citric acid substitute, in order to reduce the German government's dependence on imports of chemical products from abroad. Münz noted that an aminocarboxylic acid worked much better as a chelating agent than citric acid and therefore thought that a polyaminopolycarboxylic acid would have worked even better.[2]
Ferdinand Münz | |
|---|---|
| Born | 23 June 1888 |
| Died | 16 August 1969 (aged 81) Glashütten, Germany |
| Nationality | Austrian |
| Alma mater | Technische Universität Wien |
| Known for | EDTA synthesis |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Organic chemistry |
| Institutions | IG Farben |
In 1945 he worked closely with the future Nobel laureate Kurt Alder (1902-1958). In 1949 they published a paper together on diene synthesis and additions.[3]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ US 2130505, Münz, Ferdinand, "Polyamino carboxylic acids and process of making same", published 1938-09-20, assigned to General Analine Works, Inc.
- ^ Paolieri, Matteo (December 2017). "Ferdinand Münz: EDTA and 40 years of inventions". Bull. Hist. Chem. 42 (2). ACS: 133–140.
- ^ Münz, Ferdinand; Alder, Kurt (1949). "Diensynthese und substituierende Addition beim Divinyl-methan-typus Addition von Maleinsäure-anhydrid an Pentadien-1,4 und an 1,4-Dihydro-benzol". Justus Liebigs Ann. Chem. 565: 126–135. doi:10.1002/jlac.19495650113.