Kurt Starke
Encyclopedia
Kurt Starke was a German
radiochemist. During World War II, he worked on the German nuclear energy project, also known as the Uranium Club. He independently discovered the transuranic element neptunium. From 1947 to 1959, he taught and did research in Canada and the United States. From 1959 until he achieved emeritus status, he was at the German University of Marburg, where he established and became director of the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry. He was also the first dean of the Department of Physical Chemistry of the University of Marburg, which opened in 1971.
). He was awarded his doctorate there in 1937, under Otto Hahn
.
at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Chemie (KWIC, Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry; today, the Max Planck Institut für Chemie - Otto Hahn Institut
), in Berlin-Dahlem
. In 1940, scientists in both Germany and America were working on transuranic elements. Starke discovered the transuranic element neptunium
(atomic number 93), independently from the American team of Edwin McMillan
and Philip Abelson
. The war and his move to Munich in 1941 delayed publication of his results until 1942.
In 1941, Starke transferred to the Institut für physikalische Chemie under Klaus Clusius
at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Shortly after the move, Starke was drafted into military service. It was only through the persistent efforts of Clusius that Starke granted a reprieve. Starke subsequently accepted a position to work with the German group at the Paris
cyclotron
, initially headed by Wolfgang Gentner
, from Walther Bothe's
Institut für Physik in Heidelberg
. Under Clusius, Starke worked on the German nuclear energy project
, also known as the Uranverein (Uranium Club). Starke worked on the enrichment of the uranium isotope U239, its decay products, and the production of heavy water
. In 1943, Starke completed his Habilitation
at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
As the war raged on, the demand for men to provide armed service resulted in the drafting of many engineers and physicists, especially for the Russian Front
; Paul O. Müller
, who had worked on the Uranverein, was drafted and died in service on the Russian front. Starke had eluded military service in 1941, but, in a confrontation with Abraham Esau
, Hermann Göring’s
Bevollmächtiger (plenipotentiary) for nuclear physics research under the Reichsforschungsrat
(RFR, Reich Research Council), threatened Starke with transfer to the Russian front in the fall of 1943. It was not until 1944 that Werner Osenberg, head of the planning board at the Reichsforschungsrat
, was able to initiate calling back 5000 engineers and scientists from the front to work on research categorized as kriegsentscheidend (decisive for the war effort). By the end of the war, the number recalled had reached 15,000.
From 1944, after completion of his Habilitation, Starke was an assistant at Walther Bothe's
Institut für Physik (Institute of Physics) at the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institut für medizinische Forschung (KWImF, Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research; today, the Max-Planck Institut für medizinische Forschung
), in Heidelberg.
After the conclusion of World War II
, between the ravages of the war and the restrictions of the Allied occupation forces in Germany, the prospects of meaningful scientific work were limited. By March 1947, Heinz Maier-Leibnitz
, Kurt Stark, and other younger collaborators with Bothe at the Institut für Physik had left for North America. Stark taught and did research successively at McMaster University
(Hamilton, Ontario
, Canada
), University of British Columbia
(near Vancouver
), and the University of Kentucky
( Lexington
, Kentucky
).
In 1959, Starke took an appointment at the Philipps-Universität Marburg, where he dedicated himself to the establishment of the Instituts für Kernchemie (Institute of Nuclear Chemistry), and was appointed its director. In 1971, he moved his institute to the premises of the newly created and built Fachbereich Physikalische Chemie (Department of Physical Chemistry), and he was its first Dekan (dean). He remained at Marburg until he achieved emeritus status.
(Research Reports in Nuclear Physics), an internal publication of the German Uranverein
. The reports were classified Top Secret, they had very limited distribution, and the authors were not allowed to keep copies. The reports were confiscated under the Allied Operation Alsos
and sent to the United States Atomic Energy Commission
for evaluation. In 1971, the reports were declassified and returned to Germany. The reports are available at the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center and the American Institute of Physics
.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
radiochemist. During World War II, he worked on the German nuclear energy project, also known as the Uranium Club. He independently discovered the transuranic element neptunium. From 1947 to 1959, he taught and did research in Canada and the United States. From 1959 until he achieved emeritus status, he was at the German University of Marburg, where he established and became director of the Institute of Nuclear Chemistry. He was also the first dean of the Department of Physical Chemistry of the University of Marburg, which opened in 1971.
Education
From 1931 to 1936, Starke studied at the Friedrich-Wilhelms-Universität (today, the Humboldt-Universität zu BerlinHumboldt University of Berlin
The Humboldt University of Berlin is Berlin's oldest university, founded in 1810 as the University of Berlin by the liberal Prussian educational reformer and linguist Wilhelm von Humboldt, whose university model has strongly influenced other European and Western universities...
). He was awarded his doctorate there in 1937, under Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn
Otto Hahn FRS was a German chemist and Nobel laureate, a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is regarded as "the father of nuclear chemistry". Hahn was a courageous opposer of Jewish persecution by the Nazis and after World War II he became a passionate campaigner...
.
Career
From 1937, Starke was an assistant to Otto HahnOtto Hahn
Otto Hahn FRS was a German chemist and Nobel laureate, a pioneer in the fields of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He is regarded as "the father of nuclear chemistry". Hahn was a courageous opposer of Jewish persecution by the Nazis and after World War II he became a passionate campaigner...
at the Kaiser-Wilhelm-Institut für Chemie (KWIC, Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Chemistry; today, the Max Planck Institut für Chemie - Otto Hahn Institut
Max Planck Institute for Chemistry
The Max Planck Institute for Chemistry is a scientific research institute under the Max-Planck-Gesellschaft.Basic research in chemistry and related subjects is carried out at the four departments of the institute. The departments are independently led by their Directors.-The departments:The...
), in Berlin-Dahlem
Dahlem (Berlin)
Dahlem is a locality of the Steglitz-Zehlendorf borough in southwestern Berlin. Until Berlin's 2001 administrative reform it was a part of the former borough of Zehlendorf. Dahlem is one of the most affluent parts of the city and home to the main campus of the Free University of Berlin with the...
. In 1940, scientists in both Germany and America were working on transuranic elements. Starke discovered the transuranic element neptunium
Neptunium
Neptunium is a chemical element with the symbol Np and atomic number 93. A radioactive metal, neptunium is the first transuranic element and belongs to the actinide series. Its most stable isotope, 237Np, is a by-product of nuclear reactors and plutonium production and it can be used as a...
(atomic number 93), independently from the American team of Edwin McMillan
Edwin McMillan
Edwin Mattison McMillan was an American physicist and Nobel laureate credited with being the first ever to produce a transuranium element. He shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Glenn Seaborg in 1951....
and Philip Abelson
Philip Abelson
Philip Hauge Abelson was an American physicist, a scientific editor, and a science writer.-Life:Abelson was born in 1913 in Tacoma, Washington. He attended Washington State University where he received degrees in chemistry and physics, and the University of California, Berkeley , where he earned...
. The war and his move to Munich in 1941 delayed publication of his results until 1942.
In 1941, Starke transferred to the Institut für physikalische Chemie under Klaus Clusius
Klaus Clusius
Klaus Clusius was a German physical chemist from Breslau , Silesia. During World War II, he worked on the German nuclear energy project, also known as the Uranium Club; he worked on isotope separation techniques and heavy water production...
at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. Shortly after the move, Starke was drafted into military service. It was only through the persistent efforts of Clusius that Starke granted a reprieve. Starke subsequently accepted a position to work with the German group at the Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
cyclotron
Cyclotron
In technology, a cyclotron is a type of particle accelerator. In physics, the cyclotron frequency or gyrofrequency is the frequency of a charged particle moving perpendicularly to the direction of a uniform magnetic field, i.e. a magnetic field of constant magnitude and direction...
, initially headed by Wolfgang Gentner
Wolfgang Gentner
Wolfgang Gentner was a German experimental nuclear physicist.Gentner received his doctorate in 1930 from the University of Frankfurt. From 1932 to 1935 he had a fellowship which allowed him to do postdoctoral research and study at Curie's Radium Institute at the University of Paris...
, from Walther Bothe's
Walther Bothe
Walther Wilhelm Georg Bothe was a German nuclear physicist, who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954 with Max Born....
Institut für Physik in Heidelberg
Heidelberg
-Early history:Between 600,000 and 200,000 years ago, "Heidelberg Man" died at nearby Mauer. His jaw bone was discovered in 1907; with scientific dating, his remains were determined to be the earliest evidence of human life in Europe. In the 5th century BC, a Celtic fortress of refuge and place of...
. Under Clusius, Starke worked on the German nuclear energy project
German nuclear energy project
The German nuclear energy project, , was an attempted clandestine scientific effort led by Germany to develop and produce the atomic weapons during the events involving the World War II...
, also known as the Uranverein (Uranium Club). Starke worked on the enrichment of the uranium isotope U239, its decay products, and the production of heavy water
Heavy water
Heavy water is water highly enriched in the hydrogen isotope deuterium; e.g., heavy water used in CANDU reactors is 99.75% enriched by hydrogen atom-fraction...
. In 1943, Starke completed his Habilitation
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest academic qualification a scholar can achieve by his or her own pursuit in several European and Asian countries. Earned after obtaining a research doctorate, such as a PhD, habilitation requires the candidate to write a professorial thesis based on independent...
at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München.
As the war raged on, the demand for men to provide armed service resulted in the drafting of many engineers and physicists, especially for the Russian Front
Eastern Front (World War II)
The Eastern Front of World War II was a theatre of World War II between the European Axis powers and co-belligerent Finland against the Soviet Union, Poland, and some other Allies which encompassed Northern, Southern and Eastern Europe from 22 June 1941 to 9 May 1945...
; Paul O. Müller
Paul O. Müller
Paul O. Müller was a German theoretical nuclear physicist who worked in the German Uranverein. He was drafted into the German armed forces and died on the Russian Front in World War II. -Education:...
, who had worked on the Uranverein, was drafted and died in service on the Russian front. Starke had eluded military service in 1941, but, in a confrontation with Abraham Esau
Abraham Esau
Robert Abraham Esau was a German physicist.After receipt of his doctorate from the University of Berlin, Esau worked at Telefunken, where he pioneered very high frequency waves used in radar, radio, and television, and he was president of the Deutscher Telefunken Verband...
, Hermann Göring’s
Hermann Göring
Hermann Wilhelm Göring, was a German politician, military leader, and a leading member of the Nazi Party. He was a veteran of World War I as an ace fighter pilot, and a recipient of the coveted Pour le Mérite, also known as "The Blue Max"...
Bevollmächtiger (plenipotentiary) for nuclear physics research under the Reichsforschungsrat
Reichsforschungsrat
The Reichsforschungsrat was created in Germany in 1937 under the Education Ministry for the purpose of centralized planning of all basic and applied research, with the exception of aeronautical research...
(RFR, Reich Research Council), threatened Starke with transfer to the Russian front in the fall of 1943. It was not until 1944 that Werner Osenberg, head of the planning board at the Reichsforschungsrat
Reichsforschungsrat
The Reichsforschungsrat was created in Germany in 1937 under the Education Ministry for the purpose of centralized planning of all basic and applied research, with the exception of aeronautical research...
, was able to initiate calling back 5000 engineers and scientists from the front to work on research categorized as kriegsentscheidend (decisive for the war effort). By the end of the war, the number recalled had reached 15,000.
From 1944, after completion of his Habilitation, Starke was an assistant at Walther Bothe's
Walther Bothe
Walther Wilhelm Georg Bothe was a German nuclear physicist, who shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954 with Max Born....
Institut für Physik (Institute of Physics) at the Kaiser-Wilhelm Institut für medizinische Forschung (KWImF, Kaiser Wilhelm Institute for Medical Research; today, the Max-Planck Institut für medizinische Forschung
Max Planck Institute for Medical Research
The Max Planck Institute for Medical Research in Heidelberg, Germany, is a facility of the Max Planck Society for basic medical research. Since its foundation, six Nobel Prize laureates worked at the Institute: Otto Fritz Meyerhof , Richard Kuhn , Walther Bothe , André Michel Lwoff , Rudolf...
), in Heidelberg.
After the conclusion of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, between the ravages of the war and the restrictions of the Allied occupation forces in Germany, the prospects of meaningful scientific work were limited. By March 1947, Heinz Maier-Leibnitz
Heinz Maier-Leibnitz
Heinz Maier-Leibnitz was a German physicist. He made contributions to nuclear spectroscopy, coincidence measurement techniques, radioactive tracers for biochemistry and medicine, and neutron optics...
, Kurt Stark, and other younger collaborators with Bothe at the Institut für Physik had left for North America. Stark taught and did research successively at McMaster University
McMaster University
McMaster University is a public research university whose main campus is located in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. The main campus is located on of land in the residential neighbourhood of Westdale, adjacent to Hamilton's Royal Botanical Gardens...
(Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton, Ontario
Hamilton is a port city in the Canadian province of Ontario. Conceived by George Hamilton when he purchased the Durand farm shortly after the War of 1812, Hamilton has become the centre of a densely populated and industrialized region at the west end of Lake Ontario known as the Golden Horseshoe...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
), University of British Columbia
University of British Columbia
The University of British Columbia is a public research university. UBC’s two main campuses are situated in Vancouver and in Kelowna in the Okanagan Valley...
(near Vancouver
Vancouver
Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...
), and the University of Kentucky
University of Kentucky
The University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
( Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
).
In 1959, Starke took an appointment at the Philipps-Universität Marburg, where he dedicated himself to the establishment of the Instituts für Kernchemie (Institute of Nuclear Chemistry), and was appointed its director. In 1971, he moved his institute to the premises of the newly created and built Fachbereich Physikalische Chemie (Department of Physical Chemistry), and he was its first Dekan (dean). He remained at Marburg until he achieved emeritus status.
Internal Reports
The following reports were published in Kernphysikalische ForschungsberichteKernphysikalische Forschungsberichte
Kernphysikalische Forschungsberichte was an internal publication of the German Uranverein, which was initiated under the Heereswaffenamt in 1939; in 1942, supervision of the Uranverein was turned over to the Reichsforschungsrat under the Reichserziehungsministerium...
(Research Reports in Nuclear Physics), an internal publication of the German Uranverein
German nuclear energy project
The German nuclear energy project, , was an attempted clandestine scientific effort led by Germany to develop and produce the atomic weapons during the events involving the World War II...
. The reports were classified Top Secret, they had very limited distribution, and the authors were not allowed to keep copies. The reports were confiscated under the Allied Operation Alsos
Operation Alsos
Operation Alsos was an effort at the end of World War II by the Allies , branched off from the Manhattan Project, to investigate the German nuclear energy project, seize German nuclear resources, materials and personnel to further American research and to prevent their capture by the Soviets, and...
and sent to the United States Atomic Energy Commission
United States Atomic Energy Commission
The United States Atomic Energy Commission was an agency of the United States government established after World War II by Congress to foster and control the peace time development of atomic science and technology. President Harry S...
for evaluation. In 1971, the reports were declassified and returned to Germany. The reports are available at the Karlsruhe Nuclear Research Center and the American Institute of Physics
American Institute of Physics
The American Institute of Physics promotes science, the profession of physics, publishes physics journals, and produces publications for scientific and engineering societies. The AIP is made up of various member societies...
.
- Kurt Starke Anreicherung des künstlich redioaktiven Uran-Isotops U239 und seines Folgeproduktes 93239 (Element 93) G-113 (20 May 1941)
- Klaus Clusius and Kurt Starke Zur Gewinnung von schwerem Wasser G-134 (24 February 1942)
- Klaus Clusius and Kurt Starke Zur Theorie der franktionierten Destillation von H2-HD-D2 Gemischen G-189 (29 June 1942)