Jens Weitkamp, Professor Emeritus, University of Stuttgart, Germany, passed away on August 25, 2019. He was a pioneer of zeolite chemistry. His research focused on the use of zeolites in catalysis and absorption, e.g., in the petrochemical industry.
Jens Weitkamp studied chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe and the Free University of Berlin, both Germany. He received his Ph.D. in 1971 under the supervision of Helmut Pichler and completed his habilitation in 1981. Weitkamp became Professor at the University of Oldenburg, Germany, in 1986 and moved to the University of Stuttgart in 1988. There, he served as Head of the Institute of Chemical Engineering. He remained in Stuttgart until his retirement in 2008.
Weitkamp served the chemical community for many years in honorary positions, e.g., at DECHEMA (German Society for Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology) as Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board and as President of the International Zeolite Association (IZA). He was the Founding Editor of the journal Microporous and Mesoporous Materials. Among other honors, Weitkamp received the Carl Zerbe Prize from the Deutsche Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft für Erdöl, Erdgas und Kohle (DGMK, German Society for Petroleum and Coal Science and Technology) in 1976, the Carl Engler Medal from DGMK in 2002, the Alwin-Mittasch-Preis from DECHEMA in 2009, and an Honorary Membership of DECHEMA in 2011.
Selected Publications
- Microimaging of transient guest profiles to monitor mass transfer in nanoporous materials,
Jörg Kärger, Tomas Binder, Christian Chmelik, Florian Hibbe, Harald Krautscheid, Rajamani Krishna, Jens Weitkamp,
Nat. Mater. 2014, 13, 333–343.
https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat3917 - Catalytic Hydrocracking-Mechanisms and Versatility of the Process,
Jens Weitkamp,
ChemCatChem 2012, 4, 292–306.
https://doi.org/10.1002/cctc.201100315 - Ring opening of cis-decalin on bifunctional Ir/- and Pt/La-X zeolite catalysts,
Sandra Rabl, Andreas Haas, Dominic Santi, Cristina Flego, Marco Ferrari, Vincenzo Calemma, Jens Weitkamp,
Appl. Catal., A 2011, 400, 131–141.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2011.04.026 - In situ MAS NMR–UV/Vis investigation of H-SAPO-34 catalysts partially coked in the methanol-to-olefin conversion under continuous-flow conditions and of their regeneration,
Yijiao Jiang, Jun Huang, V.R. Reddy Marthala, Yean S. Ooi, Jens Weitkamp, Michael Hunger,
Microporous Mesoporous Mater. 2007, 105, 132–139.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.micromeso.2007.05.028 - Unprecedented Insight into Diffusion by Monitoring the Concentration of Guest Molecules in Nanoporous Host Materials,
Jörg Kärger, Pavel Kortunov, Sergey Vasenkov, Lars Heinke, Dhananjai B. Shah, Rainer A. Rakoczy, Yvonne Traa, Jens Weitkamp,
Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. 2006, 45, 7846–7849.
https://doi.org/10.1002/anie.200602892 - Non-oxidative propane dehydrogenation over Pt–Zn-containing zeolites,
Patrizia Laura De Cola, Roger Gläser, Jens Weitkamp,
Appl. Catal., A 2006, 306, 85–97.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apcata.2006.03.028
Also of Interest
- Special Issue on the occasion of the 65th birthday of Jens Weitkamp,
Chem. Ing. Tech. 2007, 79.
