Lives in Chemistry – Lebenswerke in der Chemie

A momentous decision was made by HUBERT SCHMIDBAUR, born in 1934 in Landsberg, Bavaria, when he applied for a top-notch scholarship in 1953 choosing “Chemistry”—and thus starting his 70-year journey in science.

He began his studies in the post-war ruins of Munich’s Ludwig Maximilian University chemistry buildings, and embarked also on industry internships abroad to finally choose the sulfur labs of Max Schmidt for his PhD in 1960. He then left sulfur and Munich and went off to take care of silicon and many other elements, first in Marburg and Würzburg and finally in Munich’s Technical University in 1973.

He loved the chances offered by the periodic table as an unlimited playground, collaborating with chemists all over the world. His charismatic lectures and his innovative approach to new research areas captivated students and fellow scientists alike. His career culminated in his gold era that stimulated so many till the very day.

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Günther Maier: Done! Memories of a PhD Supervisor

Günther Maier, born in 1932, was fascinated early on by “impossible molecules”.

Whether in Karlsruhe, Baltimore, Marburg, or Giessen, he always wanted to overcome new challenges. Tetrahedrane, molecule of the year 1978, became his trademark. The author employs short, chronological accounts to trace and reflect on his chemical pathways and detours, his role models, his collaboration with colleagues, and his life. He opens up a world of exotic molecules through experiments – photochemistry, flash pyrolysis, low-temperature matrix isolation – and theory. Curiosity, luck, and imagination, but also persistence, uncover many secrets.

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Gerhard Ertl: My Life With Science.

Who has had the luck to receive the Nobel Prize as a surprise birthday present? The answer is Gerhard Ertl, born in 1936.

In his youth he was interested in music, chemistry, and physics, and started university in Stuttgart followed by Paris and Munich. The door to research opened itself in his diploma thesis. His courage showed itself early on when he was a PhD student, and led him to the novel field of surface science and so to heterogeneous catalysis where he became one of the great pioneers.

He discovered at an atomic level the mechanisms and kinetics of ammonia synthesis and CO oxidation. He identified the “active centers” of catalysts – and his line of thought shaped current heterogeneous catalysis that is so important for modern industry and society. Time after time he set out basic concepts for solving important scientific and technical problems – with patience and without any fuss. Typical for Gerhard Ertl!

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Henri Brunner:
Looking Glass Chemistry: Small Differences – Gigantic Effects

“A different sort of chemistry is needed”. In 1966 this rather disconcerting thought led Henri Brunner to create the hitherto unknown, optically active transition metal complexes – and so to his lifelong interest in image/mirror image molecules and other objects.

Nowadays it is textbook knowledge that minute quantities of optically active transition metal complexes can act as catalysts to allow the synthesis of large quantities of organic and pharmaceutical products. In 1971 his outstanding chemistry resulted in his appointment as the youngest university professor in Germany and founder of the inorganic chemistry department in Regensburg.

His mother always taught him to “Keep your eyes open”. Henri Brunner, born in 1935, did just that – whether he was drawing, playing chess, doing sports, collecting Colorado potato beetles, demonstrating, obtaining grants, teaching, appointing academic staff, or looking after his tie and snail collections – and he continues to do so aged 85+!

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Dieter Oesterhelt (*1940) und Mathias Grote (*1978) trennt eine Generation, die Biochemie hat sie ins Gespräch gebracht.

1970 stieß der Nachwuchsforscher Dieter Oesterhelt auf einen Farbumschlag von Purpur nach Gelb, und den wollte er verstehen! Wie schon als Kind machte er sich auf seinen eigenen Weg gemäß dem Prinzip: Nichts lesen oder lernen, sondern etwas selbst erfahren was noch niemand sonst wusste.

In der Folge entdeckte er die molekulare Pumpe Bakteriorhodopsin und damit eine neue Art Photosynthese. Offenheit für innovative Methoden, interdisziplinäres Arbeiten und weltweite Kooperationen machten seine Gruppe am Martinsrieder Max-Planck-Institut für Biochemie zu einem Hotspot der molekularen Lebenswissenschaften.

Die Gespräche der beiden im Münchner Wohnhaus von Dieter Oesterhelt geben tiefe Einblicke in das Wesen moderner Forschung.

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Creative “cheating” led Stephen B. H. Kent, born in 1945, to solve one of the Grand Challenges of 20th Century chemistry: the total synthesis of protein molecules. Twenty-five formative years in his native New Zealand had prepared him in manifold ways. Vigorous debates at the family dinner table, combined with secondary school classes in Kantian moral philosophy and the discipline of competitive distance running influenced his later successes in scientific research. As a university undergraduate he was fascinated by the ability of enzymes to catalyze chemical reactions and set out to gain the expertise to understand how they did it. Steve loved to experiment and didn’t leave the bench for many years to come. Keep it simple, be counter-dogma and ignore the opinions of referees were his guiding principles. Read how his ambition to understand the chemistry of enzyme catalysis led stephen kent to the United States and about his adventures there in science and everyday life.

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Vom Laborlehrling ohne Abitur zum Rektor, ohne Postdoc-Erfahrung zum Professor und vom Skilehrer zum Ministerpräsidenten-Berater: Franz Effenberger, 1930 im Altvatergebirge geboren, hat viel aus seinen Talenten gemacht! Er kam nach der Vertreibung 1946 per Los nach Schwaben, bleibt dieser Region treu, da sie seinem Naturell entspricht.

Am Karriereanfang stehen neue Synthesemethoden sowie Aromaten und Heterocyclen; später glänzt er mit Pionierbeiträgen zur Bio- und Nanotechnologie. Mechanismen aufzuspüren ist seine Leidenschaft.

Die Anwendung seiner Chemie hat er immer fest im Blick, was auch seine vielen Schüler in Industrie und Hochschule prägte und ihm nach der Emeritierung neue Aufgaben beschert.

Ein Geheimnis seines Erfolgs ist, den Teamgeist zu pflegen und die Kreativität des Einzelnen zu fördern - auch beim Aufbau und der Neuorganisation von Chemiestudiengängen in aller Welt.

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Who has had the luck to receive the Nobel Prize as a surprise birthday present? The answer is Gerhard Ertl, born in 1936.

In his youth he was interested in music, chemistry, and physics, and started university in Stuttgart followed by Paris and Munich. The door to research opened itself in his diploma thesis. His courage showed itself early on when he was a PhD student, and led him to the novel field of surface science and so to heterogeneous catalysis where he became one of the great pioneers.

He discovered at an atomic level the mechanisms and kinetics of ammonia synthesis and CO oxidation. He identified the “active centers” of catalysts—and his line of thought shaped current heterogeneous catalysis that is so important for modern industry and society. Time after time he set out basic concepts for solving important scientific and technical problems—with patience and without any fuss. Typical for Gerhard Ertl!

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Immer wenn er meinte, sein Forschungsgebiet verstanden zu haben, suchte er nach einer neuen Arbeitsrichtung. Er machte sich so, entgegen manchem Rat, einen großen Namen in der NMR-Spektroskopie sowie in der Bioorganischen und Medizinischen Chemie.

Horst Kessler (*1940), einst sehr guter Sportschwimmer, zog seine „Bahn in der Chemie“ von Suhl über Leipzig nach Tübingen, Frankfurt und schließlich 1989 zur TU München (TUM). Dort leitete er das von ihm gegründete Bayerische NMR-Zentrum, ein Leuchtturm der medizinischen Proteinforschung.

Die räumliche Anordnung von Atomen und Atomgruppen und ihre Beweglichkeit aufzuspüren ist sein Metier: erst in kleinen organischen Modellverbindungen, dann in immer größeren, biologisch interessanten Molekülen und Arzneiwirkstoffen.

Horst Kesslers große Schule ist international und so vielseitig wie seine Forschung – mit der Anwendung immer im Blick.

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LARRY E. OVERMAN, born in 1943 in Chicago, had joined the newly founded Faculty of Chemistry, University of California, Irvine in 1971. It became his homebase for more than 50 years until his retirement as Distinguished Professor of Chemistry, Emeritus.

How come that he and his wife had chosen Irvine? That over 300 graduate students and postdocs have chosen his lab? That he served also as Chair of the Chemistry Section of the US National Academy of Science, as a founder and consultant in the pharmaceutical industry? Who were his mentors, his professional friends? Why did he early on chase “new chemical reactivity” after his first unexpected discovery? Which of his natural product total syntheses are textbook knowledge today? Who of his students became leaders, even a Nobel Laureate? Larry provides answers.

He managed challenges with impressive rigor and elegance. His students praise him and his unique “Let’s see what happens” and “research is a group endeavor” approach!

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KATHARINA KOHSE-HÖINGHAUS was born in Germany’s industrial Ruhr area in 1951. Science fascinated her early on—this never changed and propelled her life into a stellar academic career. After studying chemistry, she cut her own path from atmospheric chemistry to combustion science.

Constantly she created new trails between physics, chemistry, materials science, and engineering to explore combustion, pollutant emissions, and new analytical techniques.

Challenges like a dual-career family and raising funds for cross-border science led to many out-of-the-box initiatives, including science education for kids and students.

Katharina is famous for never running out of fuel: She became the first female President of the International Combustion Society and of Germany’s Bunsen Society, served on numerous boards and received many awards. Her trailblazing life for women in STEM worldwide is remarkable and her engaging story will be enjoyed by all!

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Richtig gelernt, wie ein Boot gegen den Wind segelt, hat SIGRID PEYERIMHOFF, 1937 in Schwaben geboren, erst 1964 in Seattle, als sie als Postdoc berechnete, wie Elektronen einander ausweichen.

Gegenwind hat sie schon als Kind nie gestört. Kabelgewirr, Kurzschlüsse, das „Hüpfen“ von Elektronen faszinierten sie. Der Theoretischen Chemie, in den 1960er Jahren ein noch sehr unerforschtes Gewässer, näherte sie sich über die Theoretische Physik.

Gießen, Uppsala, Chicago, Seattle und Princeton waren ihre Stationen, bevor sie sich mit gerade 30 Jahren 1967 habilitierte und mit 32 wurde sie schon Professorin in Mainz.

Seglerinnen brauchen auch einen Hafen. Die Rechnergeschwindigkeit entschied, dass sie 1972 in Bonn festmachte und Mainz, Berlin sowie Bochum in den Wind schlug, wo überall neue Lehrstühle für Theoretische Chemie etabliert wurden.

In den folgenden Jahrzehnten baute sie ihr Fach in der damaligen Bundeshauptstadt zu einem großen internationalen Hafen aus. Vielfach gefördert untersuchte sie mit immer ausgeklügelteren Methoden atmosphärenchemisch relevante kleine Moleküle samt Spektren und Reaktionen, spürte intra- und supramolekulare Effekte in der Organischen und Anorganischen Chemie auf.

Hafenfeste und internationale Regatten aus Anlass großer Preise und Tagungen machten den Peyerimhoff-Hafen Bonn weltweit bekannt. Viele der Bonner Crews segeln heute als Skipper weltweit hart am Wind.

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