On the occasion of the 100th anniversary: Ernst Späth and his mescaline synthesis of 1919
Monatshefte für Chemie - Chemical Monthly April 29, 2019 Rudolf Werner Soukup 4 citations
Since the mid-19th century, chemical research at the University of Vienna, especially at the IInd Chemical Institute, focused on characterizing plant ingredients. Austrian chemists discovered key reactions for identifying functional groups in organic molecules, such as Lieben's iodoform test, the Herzig–Meyer method for methylamino groups, and Zeisel's method for methoxy groups. Ernst Späth, the leading figure of the Viennese phytochemistry school, and his coworkers identified over 120 phytochemical substances. His 1919 synthesis of mescaline was a milestone in organic natural product chemistry.