Leo De Maeyer

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Leo De Maeyer 1971

Leo Carl Maria De Maeyer (born December 8, 1927 in Hombeek , Belgium , † June 18, 2014 in Göttingen , Germany ) was a Belgian chemist, scientific member of the Max Planck Society and former director at the Max Planck Institute for Biophysicals Chemistry in Göttingen. He played a major role in the development of measuring methods for determining the speed of extremely fast chemical reactions for which Manfred Eigen was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1967 .

biography

De Maeyer was the third son of Renée Meuldermans and Franz De Maeyer, district administrator in Belgian Congo and from 1930 independent auditor in Mechelen . After graduating from high school at the Koninklijk Atheneum te Mechelen, he studied chemistry at the Katholieke Universiteit Leuven from 1946 and received his doctorate in 1954 with a dissertation in physical chemistry from JC Jungers.

From September 1954 he worked as a postdoctoral fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Physical Chemistry on a grant from the IRSIA (Belgium) . After receiving another grant from the Alexander von Humboldt Foundation , De Maeyer became a research assistant at the Max Planck Institute for Physical Chemistry in 1956.

He made several stays as a visiting professor in the United States at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Boston, (1961/62) at Cornell University , Ithaca (1963) and at the University of Colorado , Boulder (1966, 1969 and 1972) . De Maeyer was one of the first members of the Neurosciences Research Program , which was founded in 1962 by Frances O. Schmitt in Boston and was dedicated to the research and understanding of neuronal mechanisms for information processing in the brain.

In 1965 De Maeyer was appointed Scientific Member of the Max Planck Society . During this time, his research focused on the investigation of proton conductivity and transfer in aqueous solutions through non-linear field effects.

In 1969 De Maeyer founded the Laboratory for Chemical and Biological Dynamics at the Flemish Katholieke Universiteit Leuven (Belgium) and taught there as an associate professor until his retirement.

After founding the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry (Karl Friedrich Bonhoeffer Institute) in Göttingen, De Maeyer became director of the “Experimental Methods” department in 1971, which he headed until his retirement in 1995. The main research areas of this department were a. molecular acoustics, the measurement of photon interactions in fluctuation processes, significant non-linear behavior in strong electric fields, numerical calculation methods and other computer applications.

From 1978 to 1981 De Maeyer was "Head of Division of Instrumentation" at the European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL) in Heidelberg . The main results of this activity were the use of synchrotron radiation in the EMBL outstation located at DESY in Hamburg, high-resolution scanning cryo-electron microscopy, the development and introduction of confocal microscopy as well as novel DNA sequencing methods using fluorescent labeling.

It was his concern to transfer mature technologies from various scientific and engineering disciplines into the experimental arsenal of molecular-biological investigation methods.

Leo CM De Maeyer was married to Clara Burssens (* 1931 in Keerbergen , † 2015 in Göttingen) since 1956 and had four children.

Contribution to the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1967

After joining the Max Planck Institute for Physical Chemistry in Göttingen, headed by Karl-Friedrich Bonhoeffer , on September 1, 1954, De Maeyer worked in the working group of the physicist Manfred Eigen. In-house investigated chemical relaxation processes that allowed experimental access to extremely fast chemical reactions, the mechanisms of which, however, could not yet be experimentally proven due to the high speed of the processes taking place. The starting point of their investigations was the neutralization reaction . These investigations were a challenge to the physical measurement technology of the time. Among other things, De Maeyer designed and built a circuit for selective 3000 volt impulses, the mechanical structure of the measuring bridge (now an exhibit at the Deutsches Museum Bonn ), and a distillation apparatus for the production of ultrapure water, the so-called Kohlrausch water.

The research results were first presented at the Bunsen conference in Goslar in May 1955 and published in a joint publication in 1955. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 1967 was awarded to the research groups Norrish and Porter (1/4 each) and half to Eigen "for their studies of extremely fast chemical reactions caused by disturbance of the equilibrium caused by very short energy pulses". Eigen pointed out De Maeyer's contribution in the Nobel Prize speech and later emphasized it in many of the lectures.

  • Leo De Maeyer in front of the distillation arrangement (1955)

  • Karl Friedrich Bonhoeffer, Leo De Maeyer and other scientists at the department's Christmas party, 1955

  • De Maeyer, Eigen and another scientist in front of the MPI for Physical Chemistry building, Bunsenstrasse 10, Göttingen, 1955

  • Leo De Maeyer, 2007

  • Honorary grave De Maeyer, Parkfriedhof Junkerberg

Memberships in scientific and technical associations

Awards

  • Bearer of the Belgian Order: Kruis van Ridder in de Kroonorde on November 15, 1968

Publications

  • with G. Benoy: La chloration photochimique du toluène. Compt. Rend. XXVIIe Congr. Intern. Chimie Industrielle, Bruxelles 1954, Vol. IV, p. 160
  • with M. Eigen: The speed of the neutralization reaction in natural sciences, 42, 413 (1955)
  • with M. Eigen: Investigations on the kinetics of neutralization, I in Z. Elektrochem., Ber. Bunsenges. Phys. Chemistry, 59, 986 (1955)
  • with M. Eigen: A stationary field method for the investigation of dissociation processes in liquids and solids in Z. Elektrochem., Ber. Bunsenges. Phys. Chemie, 60, 1037 (1956)
  • with M. Eigen: Self-dissociation and protonic charge transport in water and ice in Proc. Roy. Soc. A 247, 505 (1958)
  • with M. Eigen: Hydrogen Bond Structure, Proton Hydration and Proton Transfer in aqueous Solutions in The Structure of Electrolytic Solutions. Ed. By Dr. WJ Hamer, John Wiley & Sons Inc. (1959)
  • with Gv Bünau and P. Matthies: For the investigation of complete absorption spectra of unstable intermediate products in the flow arrangement in Z. Elektrochem., Ber. Bunsenges. Phys. Chemistry, 64, 14 (1960)
  • Methods for investigating chemical relaxation in Z. Elektrochem., Ber. Bunsenges. Phys. Chemistry, 64, 65 (1960)
  • Chemical kinetics, Ullmanns Encyclopadie der Technischen Chemie, Vol. 2/1 Verl. Urban and Schwarzenberg (1961)
  • with M. Eigen: Relaxation Methods in Technique of Organic Chemistry, Vol. 8, Part II. Ed. By Arnold Weissberger, Interscience Publ. (1963)
  • with M. Eigen, W. Kruse, G. Maass: Rate constants of protolytic Reactions in aqueous solutions in Progress in Reaction Kinetics, Vol. 2. Ed. By G. Porter, Pergamon Press (1963)
  • with K. Kustin: Fast Reaction in Solution in Ann. Rev. Phys. Chem. 14 (1963), 5, 217 ref.
  • with K. Bergmann and M. Eigen: Dielectric absorption as a result of chemical reaction in Ber. Bunsenges. Phys. Chemistry, 67, 819, (1963)
  • with J. Dye, J. Deald and M. Eigen: Kinetics of the Reaction between solvated eletrons and Water on Ethylendiamine in J. Chem. Phys., 39, 2388 (1963)
  • with M. Eigen and H.Ch. Spatz: About the kinetic behavior of protons and deuterons in ice crystals in Ber. Bunsenges. Phys. Chemistry, 68, 19 (1964)
  • with M. Eigen: A Combination of Temperature-Jump and Flow Techniques in Rapid Mixing and sampling techniques in biochemistry. Ed. B. Chance, Academic Press Inc., New York (1964)
  • with M. Eigen: Kinetic Aspects of Complementarity and Recognition in bio-molecular Systems. Satyendranath Bosc 70th Birthday Commemoration, Volume Pt. II. Calcutta (1965)
  • with M. Eigen: Chemical Means of Information Storage and Readout in Biological Systems in Naturwiss., 53, 50 (1966)
  • with HFEicke: Investigations into the behavior of weak electrolytes in liquid media with low dielectric constant in the saturation current range in Ber. Bunsenges. Phys. Chemistry, 70, 92 (1966)
  • with M. Eigen and J. Suarez: Dielectric dispersion and chemical relaxation, in J. Am. Chem. Soc., 90, 3157 (1968)
  • Electric fields in Methods in Enzymology, Vol XVI: Fast Reactions, p. 80, Academic Press, New York, (1969)
  • with D. Collen and G. Vandereycken: Influence oh hydrostatic pressure on the reversible polymerization of fibrin monomers in Nature 228, 669 (1970)
  • with R. Rigler and A. Jost: Chemical kinetics at the microlevel in Experimental Cell Research 62, 197 (1970)
  • with M. Eigen: Carriers and specifity in membranes in Neurosciences Research Bulletin 9, 305 (1971)
  • Chemical applications of light scattering: Scattering of coherent light and chemical fluctuations in Probes of Structure and Function of Macromolecules and Membranes, Vol. 1, p. 511, Academic Press, New York (1971)
  • Rates and kinetics of hydrogen bonding, Israel Journal of Chemistry 9, 351 (1971)
  • with M. Eigen: Theoretical basis of relaxation spectrometry in: Techniques of Chemistry, Vol. 6, Part 2, Chapter III, J. Wiley & Sons Inc., New York (1973)
  • with A. Persoons: Electric field methods Techniques of Chemistry, Vol 6, Part 2, Chapter VI, J. Wiley & Sons Inc., New York (1973)
  • with H. de Smedt and A. Persoons: Formation of a stable hetero-binuclear complex containing Ruthenium and Vanadium, Inorg. Chem. 13, 90 (1974)
  • with L. Hellemans. Absorption and dispersion of the field-induced dielectric increment in caprolactam-cclohexane solutions, J. Chem. Phys. 63, 3490 (1975)
  • with S. Ameen: Stimulated Raman scattering from H2-gas for fast heating in laser-temperature-jump chemical relaxation experiments, J. Am. Chem. Soc. 97, 1950 (1975)
  • with K. Gnädig, J. Hendrix and B. Saleh: Photon correlation spectroscopy of molecular processes in solution, Quart. Rev. Biophysics 9, 83 (1976)
  • with Y. Engelborghs, KA Heremans and J. Hoebeke: Effect of temperature and pressure on polymerization equilibrium af neuronal microtubules, Nature 259, 686 (1976)
  • with J. Hendrix, B. Saleh and K. Gnädig: Measurement of the intramolecular fluctuations of random coil polymers by photon correlation spectroscopy, Polymer 18, 10 (1977)
  • Energy requirements of molecular information transfer, Ber. Bunsenges. Phys. Chemie 80, 1189 (1976)
  • with Y. Engelborghs, N. Overbergh: A kinetic analysis of the assembly of microtubules in vitro, FEBS Lett. 80: 81-85 (1977)
  • with SW Provencher, J. Hendrix and N. Paulussen: Direct determination of molecular weight distribution of polystyrene in cyclohexane with photon correlation spectroscopy, J. Chem. Phys. 69, 4273 (1978)
  • with F. Paulussen: Dynamics of non-linear electric field effects in Frontiers of Biological Energetics, Vol. 1, Part 3, p. 671-679, New Instrumental Approaches, Academic Press NY (1978)
  • with T. Oncescu and A.-M. Oancea: Spectrophotometric determination of N-methylformamide autoprotolysis constant, J. Phys. Chem. 84, 3090-3094, (1980)
  • with W. Ansorge: Thermally stabilized very thin (0.02 - 0.3 mm) Polyacrylamide gels for electrophoresis, J. of Chromatography 202, 45 (1980)
  • with R, Wynaendts v. Resandt: Picosecond rotational diffusion by differential single photon fluorescence spectroscopy, Chem. Phys. Lett. 78, 219 (1981)
  • with KO Möller: Temperature-jump apparatus with infrared detection for relaxation studies in thin samples, rev. Scci. Instr. 53: 1596-1601 (1982)
  • with T. Oncescu and A.-M. Oancea: Kinetics of proton transfer reactions of p-nitrophenol in N-methylformamide, J. Phys. Chem. 87: 2584-2592 (1983)
  • with T. Oncescu and A.-M. Oancea: Proton transfer equilibria between nitrophenols and akylamins in N-methylformamide, J. Phys. Chem. 2593-2599 (1983)
  • with K. Nottbohm: Analysis of 2-D distributions of similar patterns, Appl. Optics 23: 2835-2842 (1984)
  • Dynamics of solute-solvent interactions, Pure & Appl. Chem. 58, 1105-1114 (1986)
  • with L. Hellemans: on the relation of the non-linear dielectric effect to the Kerr effect: closing a gap, Chem. Phys. Lett. 129, no. 3: 262-268 (1986)
  • Chemical relaxation methods in organic chemistry, Bulletin de la Socit Chimique de France, No. 2: 243-252 (1988)
  • with Jin Lusong (Lock-Song Kim): Self-pumping continous flow. Centrifugation - I. Priciple. Journal of Changchun, Inst. Of Optics and Fine Mechanics 11, No. 3: 13-20 (1988)
  • with T. Oncescu and A.-M. Oancea: Kinetics and mechanism of proton transfer reactions between p-nitrophenol and alkylamines in N-methylformamide, J. Phys. Chem. 93, 3526-3531 (1989)
  • with A. Di Nicola, R. Maetche, C. von der Malsburg, L. Wiskott: An experimental multiprocessor system for distributed parallel computations, Microprocessing and Microprogramming 26, 305-317 (1989/90)
  • Dynamic aspects of intermolecular interactions in: Intermolecular Forces - an Introduction to Modern Methods and Results, Eds. P. Huyskens, WAP Luck, Th. Zeegers-Huyskens, Springer-Verlag Berlin, ISBN 3-540-53410-5 , 79-106 (1991)
  • with T. Oncescu, Ionela Iliescu: Self-association of violamycin (VBI), Biophys. Chem. 47, 277-283 (1993)
  • with K. Clays, A. Persoons: Hyper-Raleigh scattering in solution in: Modern Nonlinear Optics, Part 3, Eds. M. Evans and St. Kielich. Advances in Chemical Physics Series, Vol. LXXXV, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., ISBN 0-471-30499-9 , 455-498 (1994)
  • with G. Kessling: Precision Modeling of Conductivity Data of Monovalent Aqueous Electrolytes, J. Chem. Soc Faraday Trans., 91, 303-317 (1995)
  • with G. Kessling: Ion-solvation and Ion-pair Equilibria in Electrolyte Solutions, J. Mol. Liq. 67, 193-210 (1995)
  • with C. Trachimow, U. Kaatze: Extremely Slow Reaggregation Processes in Micelle Solutions, A Dynamic Light Scattering Study, J. Phys. Chem. B, 102, 4483-4487 (1998)

literature

  • Article JJ Jennen: “Over Dr. Leo CM de Maeyer en diens bijdrage tot de jongste Nobelprijs Chemie “, Het Ingenieursblad 37e jaargang 1968, no. 13-14 513-531
  • Martin Hinoul: Ingenious geesten: 110 jaar nobelprijzen . Leuven University Press, 2011, ISBN 978-90-5867-878-2 , pp. 176 ( preview in Google Book search). }

Web links
Commons : Leo De Maeyer  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Former departments of the Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry
  2. ↑ historical document: Curriculum Vitae written by Prof. Dr. Leo CM De Maeyer in November 1995 on the occasion of his retirement, MPG archive, Berlin: AMPG, III. Dept., Rep. 131, No. 1
  3. ^ Salvatore Califano, Pathways to Modern Chemical Physics, p.260, (2012)
  4. ^ Deutsches Museum Bonn: Impedance measuring bridge
  5. ^ F. Kohlrausch, Ad. Heydweiller: About pure water . In: Annals of Physics . tape 289 , no. 10 , 1894, pp. 209 , doi : 10.1002 / andp.18942891002 .
  6. ↑ Z. Elektrochem. 59 (1955) 142
  7. ^ The speed of the neutralization reaction in natural sciences, 42, 413 (1955)
  8. ^ The Nobel Prize
  9. ^ Nobel lecture by Manfred Eigen
  10. ^ Leo CM De Maeyer NAE
  11. ↑ Document of the Kingdom of Belgium dated November 14, 1968, Decision No. 12613
personal data
SURNAME De Maeyer, Leo
ALTERNATIVE NAMES De Maeyer, Leo Carl Maria (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Belgian chemist
DATE OF BIRTH December 8, 1927
PLACE OF BIRTH Hombeek , Belgium
DATE OF DEATH June 18, 2014
Place of death Goettingen , Germany