# Alfred Werner

_Swiss chemist Nobel laureate (1866-1919)_

Canonical: https://diginpl.com/people/alfred-werner
Last updated: 2026-10-31

> Alfred Werner was a Swiss chemist who was a student at ETH Zurich and a professor at the University of Zurich. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1913 for proposing the octahedral configuration of transition metal complexes. Werner developed the basis for modern coordination chemistry. He was the first inorganic chemist to win the Nobel Prize, and the only one prior to 1973.

## Quick facts

- **Born:** 12 December 1866 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123014#P569))
- **Place of birth:** Mulhouse ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123014#P19))
- **Died:** 15 November 1919 ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123014#P570))
- **Place of death:** Zurich ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123014#P20))
- **Citizenship:** Switzerland; France ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123014#P27))
- **Occupation:** chemist; university teacher ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123014#P106))
- **Education:** ETH Zurich; University of Zurich ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123014#P69))
- **Spouse:** Emma Werner ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123014#P26))
- **Awards:** Nobel Prize in Chemistry; honorary member of the Physics Association (Frankfurt am Main, Germany) ([Wikidata](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123014#P166))

## Questions

**When was Alfred Werner born?**  
Alfred Werner was born on 12 December 1866 in Mulhouse.

**Where did Alfred Werner study?**  
Alfred Werner was educated at ETH Zurich, University of Zurich.

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## Sources

- [Wikipedia (English): Alfred Werner](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alfred_Werner) — [CC BY-SA 4.0](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)
- [Wikidata item Q123014](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q123014) — [CC0 1.0](https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/)
- [Image: (UAZ) AB.1.1093 Werner.tif by Franz Schmelhaus, Zürich (Public domain)](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:(UAZ)_AB.1.1093_Werner.tif)

## Licence and attribution

Text from the Wikipedia article Alfred Werner, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. This page's text is shared under the same licence. Facts from Wikidata (CC0). Image: (UAZ) AB.1.1093 Werner.tif — Franz Schmelhaus, Zürich, Public domain.

## Cite this page

"Alfred Werner". DigiNepal. Last updated 31 October 2026. https://diginpl.com/people/alfred-werner. Retrieved 4 November 2026.