Leopold Horner

Leopold Horner (24 August 1911 – 5 October 2005) was a German chemist who published a modified Wittig reaction using phosphonate-stabilized carbanions now called the Horner–Wadsworth–Emmons reaction (HWE reaction) or Horner-Wittig reaction.

Life Horner started studying chemistry at Heidelberg University and later with Heinrich Wieland at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München. After he received his Ph.D. and his habilitation he worked at the Polymer Research Institute in Frankfurt. In 1953, he became professor at the University of Mainz.