Tracing Chemical Genealogy Through the Archives of the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Zurich

Finney, N (2008). Tracing chemical genealogy through the archives of the institute of organic chemistry at the University of Zurich. CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry, 62(3):126-129. Postprint available at: http://www.zora.uzh.ch University of Zurich Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich. Zurich Open Repository and Archive http://www.zora.uzh.ch Originally published at: CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry 2008, 62(3):126-129. Winterthurerstr. 190 CH-8057 Zurich http://www.zora.uzh.ch Year: 2008 Tracing chemical genealogy through the archives of the institute of organic chemistry at the University of Zurich Finney, N Finney, N (2008). Tracing chemical genealogy through the archives of the institute of organic chemistry at the University of Zurich. CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry, 62(3):126-129. Postprint available at: http://www.zora.uzh.ch Posted at the Zurich Open Repository and Archive, University of Zurich. http://www.zora.uzh.ch Originally published at: CHIMIA International Journal for Chemistry 2008, 62(3):126-129. 175th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH 126 doi:10.2533/chimia.2008.126 CHIMIA 2008, 62, No. 3 Chimia 62 (2008) 126–129 © Schweizerische Chemische Gesellschaft ISSN 0009–4293 Tracing Chemical Genealogy Through the Archives of the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Zurich Nathaniel S. Finney* Abstract: Aspects of the history of chemists and chemistry in the Institute of Organic Chemistry at the University of Zurich are traced through chemical genealogy and retained samples from the chemical archives. The work of three OCI faculty members (Werner, Karrer and Eugster) who completed their graduate studies in the Institute is highlighted. Keywords: Alkaloid · Carotenoid · Chemical genealogy · Institute of Organic Chemistry UZH · Sample archives Introduction ganic Chemistry (OCI) at the University of Alfred Werner’s Contributions to Zurich (UZH) has an illustrious history of Organic Chemistry Scientific genealogy is a subject of en- just that – many of our famous faculty mem- thusiastic casual interest to many chem- bers are OCI PhD students that remained or Alfred Werner (1866–1919) is rightly ists – identifying one’s academic ‘lineage’ returned to serve in the Institute. remembered as the ‘father of coordination provides a clear course for navigating the At 175 years of age, formulating a chemistry’.[4] However, often forgotten is history of the sciences, reinforces a sense comprehensive history of the Institute is that he received his graduate training in of belonging to a broader community, and a daunting task, and one which has fortu- organic chemistry under the supervision of captures some of the conception of a re- nately been taken on by other authors.[2] Arthur Hantzsch, obtaining his PhD in 1890 search group as a family, albeit not one of Thus freed of an obligation to be complete, from the University of Zurich, and that he blood relatives.[1] the chemical archive in the OCI provides made important independent contributions For those who received their academic an opportunity to follow a single specific to this field as well. training in the United States and then moved path through OCI history, illustrated with Werner provided one of the first demon- to the University of Zurich, one of the strik- images from the archive. Following is a strations that aryl Grignard reagents could ing contrasts relates to academic lineage chemical lineage that includes the figures react with alkylating agents (specifically, and affiliation. In the American system, it whose work will be highlighted, with brief dimethyl sulfate) to form the corresponding is relatively rare for a student to return to note of academic affiliation; the researchers methyl alkylarenes.[5] In addition, he recog- their graduate institution as a faculty mem- whose samples will be discussed are shown nized the value of such alkylating agents for ber. In contradistinction, the Institute of Or- in bold face.[3] (Of particular interest is that the synthesis of methyl esters, particularly Alfred Werner can be traced back to Leo- those of sterically-hindered carboxylic ac- pold Gmelin, whose student Karl Löwig ids such as 2,4,6-tribromobenzoic acid, as was one of the founding professors of the an alternative to traditional Fischer esteri- UZH chemistry.) fication.[6] A great many of Werner’s samples are Leopold Gmelin (Heidelberg) preserved at UZH (including approximately ↓ 2500 of his coordination complexes).[7] The Friedrich Wöhler (Gottingen) OCI archive provides a tactile reminder of ↓ his pioneering studies of the chemistry of Adolphe Kolbe (Marburg) phenanthrene and its derivatives. In early ↓ work, he confirmed that bromination of Rudolph Schmitt (Wurzburg) phenanthrene gives the addition rather than ↓ the substitution product.[8] In the course of Arthur Hantzsch (UZH) exploring the chemistry of the phenanthro- ↓ quinones, his group prepared a number of * Correspondence: Dr. N. S. Finney Alfred Werner (UZH) Institute of Organic Chemistry derivatives, including the monohydrazone. University of Zurich ↓ Likely informed by his graduate work with Winterthurerstrasse 190 Paul Karrer (UZH) Hantzsch on the geometric isomers of ben- CH-8057 Zürich ↓ zil dioxime,[9] Werner recognized that the Tel.: +41 44 635 42 83 Conrad Eugster (UZH) E-mail: [email protected] hydrazone was a single isomer, and noted 175th ANNIVERSARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF ZURICH 127 CHIMIA 2008, 62, No. 3 CH3 CH3 N N HO HO OH O R N N H 3 C H 3 C C-Toxiferine C-Alkaloid ER=OH C-Alkaloid-G R=H Fig. 3. The structure of toxiferine alkaloids isolated from calabash curare (counterions omitted for clarity) O O O N O O NHPh in automation and continuous-flow pro- cesses.[14] As an example of combined analytical and synthetic prowess, the inter-related iso- – + SO3 K OSO2 Ph lation, structure determination and partial synthesis of the toxiferine alkaloids from [11] Fig. 1. Visual reminders of Werner’s early contributions to the chemistry of ‘calabash curare’, stand out (Fig. 3). Nu- phenthroquinones merous alkaloid samples are retained in the archive (Fig. 4, 5), including C alkaloid E, which, with its counterpart C alkaloid G, that the hydrazone and the tautomeric hy- earliest chemists to fully embrace the tech- remains among the most toxic non-reactive droxy azophenanthrene were equivalent by nique, and to treat it as being comparable in substances known to man.[15] Among Kar- the analytical methods of the time.[8] (The importance to crystallization as a purifica- rer’s students and colleagues, this was re- azo tautomer was later confirmed to be the tion method.[12] (This was, for some time, garded as such signature work that it was correct structure.[10]) The hydrazone is deep a minority view.) Having identified paper the subject of an original painting given as red, while the phenanthroquinone-3-sulfonic chromatography as particularly well-suited a gift to Karrer upon the occasion of his acid potassium salt is brilliant yellow, and to the separation of alkaloids, Karrer and 70th birthday, not long before his retire- the benzenesulfonate of 3-hydroxyphenan- coworkers made the technological leap ment from the OCI (Fig. 6).[16] The painting throquinone is a bronze-orange (Fig. 1).[8] to preparative cellulose chromatography, clearly shows the plants from which cala- While precise dating is not possible, the which allowed the purification of com- bash curare was made, as well as the struc- samples must be over 100 years old, and as paratively large quantities of pure alkaloids ture of the calabash alkaloid mavacurine can be seen are remarkably well preserved. from natural product extracts.[13] These and an indigenous hunter using a blow gun preparative columns were enormous by (presumably with curare-coated darts). modern standards, many meters in height, Karrer as a Transforming Figure in and the fractionation of samples could take Isolation, Purification and Synthesis weeks of continuous sample collection. Un- Eugster, Carrots and Mushrooms fortunately, an image of these columns is Paul Karrer (1889–1971) had an ex- not available. However, another chromato- Emeritus Prof. Conrad Hans Eugster traordinary gift for seeing far and clearly graphic advance – liquid-liquid chromatog- began his OCI career as a graduate student in many directions at once. Over the course raphy – was also adopted by practitioners in with Paul Karrer. [2] A defining accomplish- of his long career in the OCI – spanning the OCI. In the form of a ‘counter-current ment from Eugster’s doctoral work was more than 40 years, 100 PhD students and distribution apparatus’, (Fig. 2) the practice completion of the first total synthesis of 1000 publications – he made seminal con- of this method for separation and purifica- β -carotene,[17] which embodied the broad tributions to at least seven distinct areas tion clearly presages more recent advances scientific approach of Karrer and which of research.[11] Much of this involved the foreshadowed Eugster’s own independent challenging isolation of naturally occurring work in natural product isolation and char- compounds and their subsequent rigorous acterization. Of particular note is the syn- characterization, directly, by the most ad- thetic strategy adopted, which took advan- vanced analytical methods available, and tage of the C 2 symmetry of the molecule indirectly, by synthetic interconversion and was an early example of what has since and partial and total chemical synthesis. been termed two-directional or bidirection- As a whole, this body of work provides an al synthesis (Fig. 7).[18] early and elegant illustration of the dynamic Eugster’s efforts in natural product iso- interplay between what can be isolated in lation and characterization spanned a wide pure form, what can be measured, and what range of alkaloids, quinones, and polyenes. can be made, each of these endeavors fur- As part of Eugster’s legacy, the archive con- thering the others.

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