Meinhart H. Zenk
Meinhart Hans Zenk (born February 4, 1933 in Donauwörth ; † July 5, 2011 in St. Louis ) was a German chemist and biologist .
Life
Zenk studied chemistry in Erlangen and biology in Munich. He moved to the USA and in 1958 earned a master's degree in plant physiology from Purdue University in Lafayette (Indiana / USA). In 1959 he received his doctorate at the LMU Munich on the chemistry of indole acetic acid , a plant hormone . Zenk stayed at the LMU Munich, where he completed his habilitation in 1963 and became a private lecturer. In 1968 he became a professor at the new chair for plant physiology at the Ruhr University in Bochum. From 1980 to 1999 Zenk was Professor of Pharmaceutical Biology at LMU Munich. In 1999 he became honorary professor at the Martin Luther University in Halle-Wittenberg. In 2006 he went to the USA, where he became a member and principal investigator at the Donald Danforth Plant Science Center in St. Louis.
He researched a broad spectrum of topics from plant physiology: he worked on the biosynthesis of dyes and terpenes in plants, on phytohormones and so-called phytochelatins , substances that bind heavy metals and thus detoxify plants. The focus of his research was the biosynthesis of alkaloids and, in the last years of his activity, the formation of morphine in mammals and in the human organism. He was the author of over 400 scientific publications that appeared in renowned journals. Zenk has been an elected member of the Leopoldina Academic Academy since 1983, of the National Academy of Sciences since 1992 and a corresponding member of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences since 2000 . In 2005 he became an external member of the Académie des sciences .
Honors
- Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany
- Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art
- Kurt Mothes Medal of the Leopoldina
- Liebig commemorative coin of the Society of German Chemists
- Carl Mannich Medal of the DPhG
- Phytochemical Pioneer Award from PSNA
- Honorary Doctorate from Purdue University (1991),
- Honorary doctorate from the Technical University of Braunschweig (1997)
- Honorary Doctorate from Shanghai University of Chinese Medicine (2003)
Web links
Individual evidence
- ^ Obituary of the German Botanical Society: Obituary: Professor Dr. Dr. hc mult. Meinhart H. Zenk (1933–2011) ( Memento of the original from September 23, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .
- ^ Obituary of the DPhG: Prof. Dr. Meinhart H. Zenk passed away .
- ^ Obituary of the Martin Luther University Halle-Wittenberg: Scientia Halensis »Honorary Professor Meinhart Zenk has died - an obituary .
- ^ List of former members since 1666: Letter Z. Académie des sciences, accessed on March 16, 2020 (French).
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Zenk, Meinhart H. |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Zenk, Meinhart Hans (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German chemist and biologist |
| DATE OF BIRTH | February 4, 1933 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Donauwörth |
| DATE OF DEATH | July 5, 2011 |
| Place of death | St. Louis |