Guy Ourisson
Guy Ourisson (born March 26, 1926 in Boulogne-Billancourt , † November 3, 2006 in Strasbourg ) was a French chemist ( biochemistry , organic chemistry ).
Ourisson studied from 1946 to 1950 at the École normal supérieure and received his doctorate (Ph. D., on terpenes ) from Harvard University under Louis Frederick Fieser in 1952 . 1954 followed the French doctorate at the Sorbonne with G. Dupont. In 1955 he became assistant professor (maître de conférences) at the University of Strasbourg and in 1985 professor. In 1995 he retired there. In 1971 he was one of the founders of the Université Louis Pasteur in Strasbourg and its president from 1971 to 1976. He was active in the Forum Carolus in Strasbourg and was a founder of the Cercle Gutenberg in Strasbourg. In 1970 he was elected a member of the Leopoldina .
Among other things, he dealt with the chemical evolution of biomembranes and the prebiotic chemistry of isoprenoids , triterpenes such as hopanoids in proteobacteria , chemotaxonomy (determination of plant species according to chemical substances such as terpenoids occurring there), neurochemistry and cycloartenol (a steroid precursor in plants) .
In 1981/82 he was Director General for Higher Education (Universities) in the French Ministry of Education. From 1985 to 1989 he was President of the Institut de chimie des substances naturelles (ICSN) of the CNRS in Gif-sur-Yvette. In 2001 he produced a report on the dissatisfaction of French students with their education.
In 1959 he founded the Groupe d'études de chimie organique (GECO), which organized conferences based on the model of the Gordon Research Conferences .
He has been a member of the Académie des Sciences since 1981 , its Vice-President in 1998/99 and its President in 2000/2001. Ourisson was an honorary doctor of the ETH Zurich , received the Order of the Sacred Treasure in Japan, was commander of the Ordres des Palmes Académiques, the Ordre National du Mérite and the Legion of Honor. He was a member of the Royal Society and, since 1993, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences . In 1987 he received the Gay Lussac Humboldt Prize , in 1969 he received the Otto Wallach plaque , in 1985 the Heinrich Wieland Prize and in 1972 the Ernest Guenther Award .
A prize from the Cercle Gutenberg for Alsatian scientists under 40 years of age is named after him.
He had many students, including Jean-Marie Lehn .
Web links
- Homage to Actualité Chimie (French)
Individual evidence
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ourisson, Guy |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | French chemist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | March 26, 1926 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Boulogne-Billancourt |
| DATE OF DEATH | November 3, 2006 |
| Place of death | Strasbourg |