Albert Eschenmoser

Albert Eschenmoser was born in Erstfeld (Uri), Switzerland, on August 5, 1925. He received his Dipl.sc.nat. in 1949 and his D.Sc. in 1951 from ETH Zürich, where he became a private lecturer in Organic Chemistry in 1956, associate professor in 1960, and full professor for General Organic Chemistry in 1965. Since 1992, he had been Professor Emeritus. Albert Eschenmoser died on July 14, 2023, in Küsnacht, Switzerland.

Albert Eschenmoser shaped organic chemistry as did few others. A brilliant mind gave rise to masterpieces of total synthesis – Vitamin B12 as a particular landmark in the history of chemistry – hand in hand with the development of synthetic methods, the unraveling of fundamental mechanistic problems in biosynthesis and organic chemistry, and forays into prebiotic chemistry. Beautiful investigations into why Nature chose pentoses rather than hexoses for the backbone of its genetic polymers have illuminated fundamentally important aspects of the origins of life itself.

Today, many of Eschenmoser’s contributions are taught in chemistry textbooks. By means of imagination, intelligence, insight, and will, the science of Albert Eschenmoser and his more than 250 coworkers made an indelible mark on chemistry in academia as well as the chemical and pharmaceutical industries, most especially in his home country. Always deeply rooted in Switzerland, even when abroad, Albert was esteemed by innumerable international colleagues and friends for his sharp mind, curiosity, vitality, and irrefutable ethics. His knowledge and interests extended outward from chemistry and the natural sciences to literature, music, and the arts.

Eschenmoser was a towering figure in the global success story of the ETH Zurich and its Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences.