Wilhelm Schlenk: The Man Behind the Flask**

In 1943 there appeared in Berichte der Deutschen Chemischen Gesellschaft[1] a brief notice (Figure 1) of the death of Wilhelm Schlenk, the former President of the German Chemical Society (Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft).[2a] It was stated that a fuller biography of Schlenk would appear later, but this has not been forthcoming, although there were short articles in specialized Austrian[2b] and Bavarian[2c] journals. Underneath the notice about Schlenk there was a list of individuals who had died in 1942, and this list was headed by the traditional German Iron Cross, emblazoned with the swastika, the emblem of the ruling National Socialist Party led by Adolf Hitler. A name that stands out on this list is that of Max Bodenstein, another pioneer in free radical chemistry and one of Schlenk s successors as President of the Deutsche Chemische Gesellschaft (1930 ± 1932), for whom a detailed memorial appeared in 1967.[2d] The name Schlenk is familiar to many chemists because of the widespread use of aSchlenko glassware, as illustrated in many textbooks and reviews on the handling of air-sensitive compounds.[3] Who was Schlenk, and why has the promised obituary never appeared? A brief study of the life of this extraordinary scientist provides an answer to the first question, and also makes a strong case that he should be better known, not only for his scientific achievements but also for the example he set as a man of principle and political courage. Wilhelm Johann Schlenk (Figure 2) was born in Munich in 1879, the son of Georg and Emilie Schlenk, and attended the Realgymnasium there. He had a fine singing voice and considered a career in music, but instead followed the example of his brother Johann Oskar Schlenk (1874 ± 1951; Figure 2, right) in the study of chemistry. Another brother Hermann became a Director of the Löwenbräu brewery in