Otto Diels

Who was Otto Diels?

Otto Paul Hermann Diels was a German chemist. His most notable work was done with Kurt Alder on the Diels-Alder reaction, a method for diene synthesis. The pair was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1950 for their work. Their method of synthesizing cyclic organic compounds proved valuable for the manufacture of synthetic rubber and plastic. He completed his education at the University of Berlin, where he later worked. Diels was employed at the University of Kiel when he completed his Nobel Prize winning work, and remained there until he retired in 1945. Diels was married, with five children. He died in 1954.