Gerhard G. Habermehl

Gerhard Georg Konrad Habermehl (born February 19, 1931 in Seligenstadt , Hesse , † August 30, 2010 in Hanover ) was a German natural product chemist.

Life

After graduating from high school, Habermehl studied chemistry and zoology at the Technical University of Darmstadt . In 1960 he was at Clemens Schöpf in Darmstadt with a thesis on the constitution of Samandarins doctorate . He received his habilitation in 1964 with a thesis on X-ray structure analysis and worked from 1968 at the Laboratory of Chemistry of the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda (Maryland) , USA. 1970 Habermehl received a reputation as a professor of organic chemistry at the Technical University of Darmstadt. In 1980 he switched to the chair for chemistry at the University of Veterinary Medicine in Hanover . In 1996 he retired .

Act

The main research focus of Gerhard Habermehl formed the salamander and frog poisons ( batrachotoxin ), steroids and saponins from starfish and sea ​​cucumbers ( holothurins ), pigments from bacteria, etc. He achieved significant research results in the structure elucidation. In addition to the natural substances from the animal kingdom, herbal poisons formed a further focus, in which toxicological studies and the structure of the toxins were determined. Numerous syntheses of natural products were established for the analytically oriented work. Important compounds that will remain in connection with the name Habermehl are, for example, pumiliotoxin-C , samandaridin , holothurinogenin , spatulenol , tetrodotoxin and the miotoxins .

With the works "Poison animals and their weapons", "Central European poisonous plants and their active ingredients" he became known; His book “Venomous Animals and Their Toxins” received international attention. In 1992 he published the textbook “Naturstoffchemie”, which is also aimed at chemists, biologists and pharmacists.

Habermehl has been a very committed member of Catholic student associations in the KV since his student days, he became a member of the Moenania-Darmstadt student association in 1951 and later took on board positions there in the former rulers. He then became a member of the KV connections Guestphalia-Berlin to Frankfurt, Barbarossa-Kaiserslautern and KSSt.V. Alemannia Munich , from 1985 to 1991 he was also a board member of the old gentlemen's association of KV . In addition, he was an honorary member of the Catholic student associations KDSt.V. Norbertina Magdeburg, the AV Salia-Silesia Oppeln and the KDSt.V. Saxo-Silesia Hannover in the Cartell Association (CV) .

Habermehl was also chairman of the Einhard-Arbeitsgemeinschaft eV based in Seligenstadt . At his request, Habermehl was buried in the cemetery in Seligenstadt.

Fonts

• Venomous Animals and Their Toxins , Springer, Berlin 1981, ISBN 3-540-10780-0 .
• Poison - animals and their weapons , Springer, Berlin 1994, 5th edition, ISBN 3-540-56897-2 .
• Natural product chemistry. An introduction , Springer, Berlin 2008, 3rd edition, ISBN 978-3-540-73732-2 , together with Peter E. Hammann, HC Krebs, Waldemar Ternes.
• Central European poisonous plants and their active ingredients , Springer, Berlin, 2nd edition, ISBN 3-540-64810-0 .

literature

• B. Gondro and F. Preuschhoff, in Academic Monthly Papers 2010, p. 240.

Web links

• Literature by and about Gerhard G. Habermehl in the catalog of the German National Library
• Alfons Schöberl, Gerhard G. Habermehl and Waldemar Ternes: "History of the Chemical Institute" (Foundation of the University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover)

Individual evidence

1. ^ "History of the Chemical Institute" , University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover, January 22, 2003