Dieter Seebach
Encyclopedia
Dieter Seebach is a German chemist known for his synthesis of biopolymers and dendrimers, and for his contributions to stereochemistry
. He was born on 31 October 1937 in Karlsruhe
. He studied chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe (TH) under the supervision of Rudolf Criegee
and at Harvard University
with Elias Corey
finishing in 1969. After his habilitation he became professor for organic chemistry at the University of Giessen
. After six years he was appointed professor at the ETH Zurich
where he worked until he retired in 2003.
chemistry and on the synthesis of beta-peptide
s. The development of the umpolung
, a polarity inversion of the carbonyl
group, with 1,3-propanedithiol
together with Corey had a big influence on organic synthesis.
Stereochemistry
Stereochemistry, a subdiscipline of chemistry, involves the study of the relative spatial arrangement of atoms within molecules. An important branch of stereochemistry is the study of chiral molecules....
. He was born on 31 October 1937 in Karlsruhe
Karlsruhe
The City of Karlsruhe is a city in the southwest of Germany, in the state of Baden-Württemberg, located near the French-German border.Karlsruhe was founded in 1715 as Karlsruhe Palace, when Germany was a series of principalities and city states...
. He studied chemistry at the University of Karlsruhe (TH) under the supervision of Rudolf Criegee
Rudolf Criegee
Rudolf Criegee was a German chemist. He studied in Tübingen, Greifswald, and Würzburg and received his doctorate at Würzburg in 1925. He proposed a reaction mechanism for ozonolysis in 1953. The Criegee rearrangement is named after him...
and at Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
with Elias Corey
Elias James Corey
Elias James Corey is an American organic chemist. In 1990 he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his development of the theory and methodology of organic synthesis", specifically retrosynthetic analysis...
finishing in 1969. After his habilitation he became professor for organic chemistry at the University of Giessen
University of Giessen
The University of Giessen is officially called the Justus Liebig University Giessen after its most famous faculty member, Justus von Liebig, the founder of modern agricultural chemistry and inventor of artificial fertiliser.-History:The University of Gießen is among the oldest institutions of...
. After six years he was appointed professor at the ETH Zurich
ETH Zurich
The Swiss Federal Institute of Technology Zurich or ETH Zürich is an engineering, science, technology, mathematics and management university in the City of Zurich, Switzerland....
where he worked until he retired in 2003.
Work
He works on dendrimerDendrimer
Dendrimers are repetitively branched molecules. The name comes from the Greek word "δένδρον" , which translates to "tree". Synonymous terms for dendrimer include arborols and cascade molecules. However, dendrimer is currently the internationally accepted term. A dendrimer is typically symmetric...
chemistry and on the synthesis of beta-peptide
Beta-peptide
β-peptides consist of β amino acids, which have their amino group bonded to the β carbon rather than the α carbon as in the 20 standard biological amino acids. The only commonly naturally occurring β amino acid is β-alanine; although it is used as a component of larger bioactive molecules,...
s. The development of the umpolung
Umpolung
Umpolung or polarity inversion in organic chemistry is the chemical modification of a functional group with the aim of the reversal of polarity of that group. This modification allows secondary reactions of this functional group that would otherwise not be possible. The concept was introduced by...
, a polarity inversion of the carbonyl
Carbonyl
In organic chemistry, a carbonyl group is a functional group composed of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom: C=O. It is common to several classes of organic compounds, as part of many larger functional groups....
group, with 1,3-propanedithiol
1,3-Propanedithiol
1,3-Propanedithiol is the chemical compound with the formula HSCH2CH2CH2SH. This dithiol is a useful reagent in organic synthesis. This liquid, which is readily available commercially, has an intense stench.-Use in organic synthesis:...
together with Corey had a big influence on organic synthesis.