RICHARD MARTI WILLSTATTER

Academic Timiryazev wrote that the work Willstatter "will remain for a long time starting point in further study of chlorophyll, and the future historian will mark the two periods in this study - to Willstatter and after him.

Richard Martin Willstätter born in the German city of Karlsruhe, August 13, 1872 in the family of merchant tissues. Parents strictly enforce all requirements of religion, but as soon as Richard and his brother Alfred were alone, they gave rein to her imagination and played to oblivion.

There were boxes of Richard with the old coins and albums with stamps. Especially appreciated the boy a gift he received at age eight, - the book "Natural" Martins. And when he fell into the hands of a textbook chemistry Roscoe and Shorlemmera, a boy really carried away by this science.

In autumn 1890, Richard graduated from the brilliantly real school in Nuremberg, and enrolled at the Munich Polytechnic Institute. Richard read not only that the professor had recommended, he found himself further literature on all issues that have excited him. The level of teaching chemistry at the university seemed to him inadequate, and therefore Willstatter moved to the University of Munich, where a whole year waiting for a vacancy in the laboratory of a famous chemist Adolf von Baeyer. But the work here was very exciting and demanding not only the precision and accuracy, and speed.

Soon, however, Bayer recommended Richard to work with Professor Alfred Einhorn. Willstatter reluctantly agreed. In a small laboratory Einhorn, he studied the structure of cocaine. Thesis was brilliant, and the young scientist was rated "excellent". So in 1894 Willstatter has a doctorate in chemistry.

Get Assistant Professor proved impossible. In the laboratory Bayer also was not free space. There was only one way out - to begin work in the student laboratory. Richard paid the Regulations, an amount and got a job.

Willstatter decided to continue the study of alkaloids, particularly atropine. The young scientist had already had an idea - be treated Diiodide pimelic acid with ammonia. The experiments led to unexpected results: to get a connection to the five-membered ring.

Each day study atropinovyh alkaloids brought new successes. It became clear that atropine and cocaine are similar in their structure. Willstatter ekgonin succeeded in synthesizing the compound, which has so far received only the decomposition of cocaine.

Successes of the young researcher has generated interest and respect for him by other scientists.

Photo — «Richard Marti Willstatter»

Bayer suggested Willstatter Assistant Professor and took care of assigning him his academic title. Now Richard has become much more opportunities for scientific work. There were first interns. He expanded the study of alkaloids, amines and amino acids that are formed in their decay.

In 1901 Willstatter has served as professor of chemistry at the University of Munich.

Richard often performed in the morning riding trips in the vicinity of Munich. In one of them was born in Willstatter thought, which defined the direction of research him and his staff: "Chlorophyll - the most common in the nature of dye, but its chemical composition and structure are unknown. That′s where you can turn around! "

Began intensive research. They were continued in Zurich, where in 1905 Willstatter invited for the post of Professor of the Federal Institute of Technology. Together with him in Switzerland came to several of his employees, to continue to do so. Together with Richard arrived in Zurich and his wife - Sophia Leather. The charming daughter of Professor Richard won the first meeting. She was intelligent and educated, well versed in literature, philosophy and art. In early August 1903 held a wedding, and a year later a son Ludwig.

Family Willstatter had a modest villa, located almost on top of the hill Tsyurihberg. Children already have two - Ludwig and Margaret. The summer of 1908 the family suffered a misfortune: Sophia died of appendicitis is not recognized in time. All the concerns of the family claimed their housekeeper, Elsa, the former for several years a devoted friend of the family.

Despite the ordeal, dropped out at this time on his share Willstatter continued fruitful research.

Chemical laboratories were very spacious and well equipped. Willstatter ordered the premises of the basement mount installation for the extraction of chlorophyll from the leaves of nettles - it was a convenient raw material for these experiments.

After cleaning the water-alcohol solutions, after standing for a long time, a close disciple Willstatter Arthur Stoll got a blue-green crystals. When he first began to examine the crystals under a microscope, he found that the visual field is covered with twinkle regular hexagon light green color. There were changes in the samples, but the picture remained the same.

It was found that the purified chlorophyll - a green wax-like substance, and hexagonal crystals are formed by the decay of chlorophyll under the influence of some unknown until now of the enzyme. It was called hlorofilazoy.

Photo — «Richard Marti Willstatter»

These crystals were used to study the structure of chlorophyll. The results showed that the composition of chlorophyll - a complex organic compound containing one atom in a molecule of magnesium.

"First of all Willstatter - writes JG Chirkov, - highlighted in green are two start - chlorophyll "a" (he is the most important!) And chlorophyll "b" . . . The second achievement: Willstatter found the chemical composition of the chlorophyll molecule.

The presence of chlorophyll carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen expected. But magnesium - it is for the scientists was a surprise! Chlorophyll was the first compound in living tissue that contains this element.

And, finally, third: Willstatter set out to determine whether all plants chlorophyll is the same? After all, how many different plants on the planet, as the very different conditions of their habitat, so really they all cost the same, so to speak, a standard, a molecule of chlorophyll?

Then Willstatter again showed its scientific nature. Neither his contemporaries nor posterity should not be a shadow of doubt on the reliability of the facts obtained!

Giant work lasted for two years. In Zurich, where she worked Willstatter, numerous assistants delivered darkness of plants from various places. Plants terrestrial and aquatic, from the valleys and the slopes of the mountains from the north and south of the rivers, lakes and seas . . . And because each received copies of extracted chlorophyll and carefully analyzed its chemical composition.

As a result, the scientist discovered that the composition of chlorophyll is the same everywhere! For the red color of blood "responsible" hem. The basis and heme, and chlorophyll is porphin.

In 1912, the scientist moved to Berlin at the invitation of the newly created promising research center - the Kaiser Wilhelm Institute.

K. Manolov writes: "At this time, to him at the Institute arrived Englishman Arthur Ivrist. Years of experience extraction of chlorophyll in the laboratory Willstatter very useful. After each extraction with a colorimeter controlled increase of the content of the extracted dye in the solution. A concentrated and purified dye solution was left to crystallize. The crystals turned out surprisingly quickly, and Ivrist Willstatter not even begin to believe his success. Acid-alcohol solution of dye was added ether, and immediately at the bottom of the vessel appeared small shiny crystals. The new substance called cyanidin (from the Latin name cornflower "tsentaurea tsianus").

Photo — «Richard Marti Willstatter»

It was obtained in pure form the first Anthocyanins.

Ivrist received decay products of the dye and took its synthesis. Other staff were Anthocyanins roses, geranium, larkspur, cranberries.

Eighteen months has been studied many substances that give color to flowers and fruits. Following cyanidin in the laboratory Willstatter were obtained pelargonidin and delphinidin and decipher their structures. Great success was the implementation of the first synthesis of the dye - it was a synthesis of pelargonidina.

In 1913, together with Stoll, he released a fundamental work "Studies of chlorophyll.

Alas, they soon began the First World War and the laboratory was empty - the majority of employees called in the army. Inventories chemicals soon exhausted, and refill them it was not possible.

In 1915, for "research dyestuffs plant world, especially chlorophyll" Willstatter was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. Because of the war awards ceremony was postponed. Scientist got the prize in 1920. "The purpose of my work - said Willstatter in the Nobel lecture - was to establish the structural characteristics of the most widely used plant pigments, particularly chlorophyll, and find certain criteria relating to their chemical functions.

1920 was full of joy and the other for Willstatter events, in particular, the opening of a new laboratory at the University of Munich, where he had four years was a professor. New theme of his research were enzymes - biological catalysts of biochemical reactions, are present in all living cells. However, having reached certain results in this completely unexplored field of organic chemistry, a scientist in 1924, was forced to interrupt their experiments, and to resign. This happened when in the corridors and classrooms of the University began to appear anti-Semitic posters.

Laboratory headed by H. Wieland, who for many years provided Vilshetteru opportunity to conduct experiments with erythrocytes, the coloring matter which - hemoglobin - similar in structure to the chlorophyll.

In 1933, accession to power in Germany the Nazis came. Willstatter repeatedly traveled to other countries and he has repeatedly offered to stay abroad. But he rejected the most flattering offers, not wanting to leave their homeland. But after only a fluke in November 1938, he avoided falling into a concentration camp, Willstatter early next year, leaving Germany.

In Switzerland, at the Villa Hermitage, near Locarno, he wrote a memoir on my life. " August 3, 1942 Willstatter died of a heart attack.