Britannica Sources used in this answer

Why did Alfred Werner receive the 1913 Nobel Prize in Chemistry?

Created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

Structural diagram of the vitamin B12 coenzyme molecule, highlighting its organometallic core with five nitrogen-cobalt bonds and one cobalt-carbon bond at the center, surrounded by complex organic groups. — coordination compound Coordination compounds contain a central metal atom surrounded by nonmetal atoms or groups of atoms, called ligands. For example, vitamin B₁₂ is made up of a central metallic cobalt ion bound to multiple nitrogen-containing ligands.

Alfred Werner was awarded the 1913 Nobel Prize in Chemistry in recognition of his groundbreaking work on the linkage of atoms in molecules. His research provided new insights into long-standing chemical problems and opened entirely new fields of study, particularly within inorganic chemistry.1

Werner is primarily celebrated for his revolutionary theory of coordination compounds, which he proposed in 1893. By introducing the concept of the coordination number, he successfully explained the structure of metal-ammines and other complex salts, effectively replacing the outdated "chain theory" of his contemporaries.12

His work demonstrated that stereochemistry is a general phenomenon not limited to organic chemistry, and he provided experimental proof for his theories by identifying various isomers and resolving complex compounds into their optical isomers. Through these achievements, Werner is universally recognized as the founder of modern coordination chemistry and structural inorganic chemistry.12