TU Wien, in particular the Faculty of Technical Chemistry and the Institute of Applied Synthetic Chemistry, mourn the loss of Univ.-Prof. i.R. Dr. phil. Maximilian Knollmüller.

We were deeply saddened to learn that our colleague, mentor and teacher Prof. Maximilian Knollmüller passed away on April 25, 2021 after a long illness, which he endured with great patience, at the age of 87.

Maximilian Knollmüller was born in Linz in 1935. After passing his school-leaving examination with distinction at the secondary school in Schlierbach, he began studying chemistry as his main subject and physics as a minor at the University of Vienna in 1954. He completed his studies in 1962 with a dissertation under the supervision of Prof. Otto Hromatka on the subject of “Syntheses in the phenthiazine series”. At this time, he was already working as a research assistant at the Institute of Physical Chemistry at the University of Vienna.

With the appointment of his mentor and teacher Otto Hromatka to the Vienna University of Technology in 1963, he also moved to our university. Initially employed as a university assistant and since 1970 as a senior assistant, he submitted his habilitation thesis on “Cyclic and bicyclic sulphamides” in 1971 and received his teaching license as a university lecturer in “Organic Chemistry” in 1972.

Max Knollmüller's scientific interests at the time were in the field of heterocycle chemistry, whereby he was not only interested in their synthesis and properties, but soon also had theoretical problems in mind. He underpinned his theoretical considerations on reaction mechanisms and stereochemical questions with physical chemical measurement methods. It was therefore not surprising that he was given his own research group in 1968. In February 1974, he was appointed associate professor and head of the newly established Department of Physical Organic Chemistry at the Institute of Organic Chemistry. In the years that followed, Max Knollmüller expanded his scientific ouevre with contributions to the photochemical synthesis of organic compounds. Here, too, he was primarily interested in the physical chemistry aspects.

In addition to his scientific work, Max Knollmüller was also a committed university lecturer. His enthusiastic lectures on physical organic chemistry were highly appreciated by students and he succeeded in igniting the fire of curiosity in many of his listeners, which is essential for a scientific career.

Last but not least, Max Knollmüller was also very intensively involved in university self-administration. His role as head of the Institute of Organic Chemistry from 1.10.1985 to 30.9.1993 is particularly noteworthy here. It was a very exciting time for the Institute, because at that time the plans for today's “Loschmidt Trakt” (Building BI on Getreidemarkt) were underway. The large underground lecture laboratory in the BK area, which is indispensable for regular teaching operations today, was not originally included in the plans. Due to the vehement negotiations of Prof. Knollmüller, it was included in the plans and finally built.

Prof. Maximilian Knollmüller's active period of service ended at the end of the 1999/2000 academic year. He remained associated with the institute, was still very interested in scientific issues and was involved in various projects in an advisory capacity. He would certainly have liked to have continued these activities into old age. Unfortunately, this was not possible due to his progressive illness.

Max Knollmüller was modest, clever and conscientious. At the same time, he was always friendly and helpful. He remained true to his principles throughout his life. He became a role model for many. In all his years at TU Wien, his personal commitment was an important and reliable contribution to the positive development of the institution.

We will keep him in vivid memory.

Peter Gärtner