Commentary: Autobiography:

Bonded to People, Part II

Professor Dr Dr Randolph Riemschneider, LBFel

Institute of Biochemistry, Free University of Berlin (FUB), Germany

Central Institute of Chemistry, Universidade Federal de Santa Maria (UFSM), Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil

BWW Life Fellow Member Professor Randolph Riemschneider has summarized his lifetime work in a soon to be published book [1] in which readers will find some enlightening reports about the numerous people who influenced his life. With this paper the author also continues his essay “Bonded to Compounds – Providence” from the July-August 2005 issue of this Journal [2]

Chemistry has always been and remains the author’s life. For the sake of his devotion to chemistry, the author has resisted and confronted all problems which politics can involve, and has fought against resistances and intrigues. Here it is shown from whom and in what manner he received support and sorely-needed assistance.

This essay also represents a piece of contemporary history, especially from the 1940s to the 1960s, regarding Nobel Prize winners such as Profs Alder/Diels, Butenandt, R.Kuhn, Pauling, Natta/Ziegler and in Germany well-known personages such as Profs. Dinghas (mathematician), Lohmann (ATP), Sauerbruch, General Nobile, Dir. Dr. Scherer (Freon HOECHST), and Dr. Ronge (attorney) as well as personages from Japan and Brazil who have influenced the life of the author.

- The Editor

PART II:

The author considers these early personal contacts (since 1962) to Brazil as being arranged by Providence [2]:

In 1969, the proven structures of a German university were destroyed by political havoc[i] and with them almost everything the author had built up. Thanks to the almost completed assignment of the Brazilian Teaching University to organize a Chemical Central Institute and to establish a teaching system by the (old) German role model (what an irony of fate!), the author was able to carry on a lot of his research at this foreign university. The chemical industry both in Germany and abroad provided support for work which could not be continued either in Berlin or in Santa Maria.

During the years 1950 to 1969, the author had established valuable contacts with the industry all over the world. Of course, these were demonized at the FU from 1969 onwards, but quite without success in the case of Riemschneider!

Even though the radicals succeeded in the 1970s to cut off the contacts to Farbwerke HOECHST, the interruption lasted only until 1975. By then the author and some of his colleagues - assisted by member of Parliament Dr. Ursula Besser - succeeded in having the non-functional "Central Institute for Biochemistry and Biophysics" disbanded.

In 1969, the industry of Berlin had watched with dismay and suspicion what resulted from a new university law and intrigues of the GDR. In addition to his work at FU and in Brazil, Riemschneider was also head of research at BÖTTGER GmbH in Berlin/Brazil from 1969 to 1997 and, thanks to his contacts to Japan, brought the German industry in Berlin orders in the range of millions: PROJ XXII and XXIII in [1].

The author retired from the German university system in 1987 at the age of 67, but still engages in the Brasilian University UFSM, and co-operating with Japanese, Chinese, Brasilian, and Swiss industry in manufacturing, delevoping new preparations [18a-f] and in own research [e.g. 19, 26-33] in good health until to-day.

Contacts in Japan:

re 15) Professor Dr. Sankei Takei

The Director of the Institute of Agricultural Chemistry of Kyoto University and chief editor of the periodical "Pest Control Research" - Botyu-Kagaku [17] - established contact with the Japanese Chemical Society" and the Japanese Universities in Tokyo, Kyoto and Urawa for the author, namely Professor Dr. Yonezo Morino, Tokyo University, Professor Dr. John Shimozawa, ibidem, later at Saitama University in Urawa (also vice-chancellor), Professor Dr. Minoru Nakajima, Kyoto University and others

The first contacts with Japan came about in 1949 as a result of the two monographs mentioned earlier when the chief editor of the Japanese scientific magazine "Pest Control Research" (Botyu Kagaku), Professor Dr. Sankei Takei, Director of the Institute of Agricultural Chemistry at Kyoto University, approached the author with the request for a continuous exchange of literature, offering to send his quarterly publication on a regular basis. This arrangement was continued for over 30 years, giving the author the opportunity to publish a few important original articles in German with a Japanese abstract in this periodical [17].

At the same time, Professor Takei intensified the existing contacts with Professor Dr. Yonezo Morino, Tokyo University, Chemical Institute in 1950. Morino worked on issues of stereochemistry from the angle of Physical Chemistry, the author from the angle of Organic Chemistry. Professor Takei passed Morino's request to the author to provide certain polyhalocyclohexanes for measurements in connection with dissertations. No sooner said than done: The measurements conducted with our halogen compounds sent to Morino were reported in several publications [22a-c]

The first personal meeting with Takei took place in 1953 at a convention in Naples (illustration) at the initiative of Professor Takei who offered to pay the airfare from Berlin to Rome and back[ii].

Illustration 7:

Prof. Dr. S. Takei and author

October 22, 1953 (465) in [1]

Thanks to Takei, the contact with Nobel Prize Winner Professor Dr. A. Butenandt, Munich, was intensified. Both Takei and Butenandt had written their doctoral thesis on "Rotenon, a natural insecticide" at the same time, the former in Heidelberg, the latter in Göttingen.

They became friends, a friendship that was to last until Takei's death and which, in a way, was transferred to Butenandt and the author. The former had worked on natural insecticides, the latter on synthetic ones.

After the first monograph of the author was published in 1947 [6], Professor Butenandt had asked for a copy and kept in touch since. This acquaintance was then intensified by the Japan contact with Takei.

In 1957, Profs Butenandt and R. Kuhn had used their influence to secure a chair for the author who worked in the United States at the time and later employed students of the author, for example Dr. Kasang, in his institute.

In the years that followed, Takei made several visits to Berlin. Details regarding the work of his daughter Djunko at the Berlin Institute of the author for 5 years and regarding the approximately 20 trips of the author to Japan, for example in 1961¹⁸ and 1964[iii] will follow mostly in connection with the industrial exploitation of products developed by the author in the field of animal and plant extracts: PROJ XXII and XXIII in [1].

re 16) YONEZO Morino

Professor Dr. Yonezo Morino, Chemical Institute, Tokyo University, physicist and physico-chemist, responsible for solving stereochemical problems, acted as a kind of "mentor" for the author for measuring and calculating dipole moments and the application of X-ray spectroscopy. This resulted in a cooperation of many years which ended successfully with the publication "STEREOCHEMISTRY, The Conversion Isomerism Case of the Monofluoroenedecachlorocyclohexanes: C₆FCl₁₁ isomers” in the Internet, 2007 at http://www.bwwsociety.org/journal/html/isomerie.htm [19]

The cooperation mentioned above started as early as 1952 when the author sent polyhalocyclohexane for dipole measurements to Japan; the results were then published in Japan.

The first personal meeting with Morino took place in 1961 at his institute and started off with great formality; also present were Takei, Nakajima, and Shimozawa, all from Kyoto University. We began with a tour through the Institute.

One of the labs contained a complicated STOCK apparatus with many, many glass tubes and cocks to all of which little notes with Japanese characters were attached. The author touched one on them and asked "What does this mean?" Roaring laughter: "Do not touch!". This had broken the spell and the mood became lighter. It was a good start.

In 1961, the author received an invitation from the Japanese Chemical Society to give a lecture at the Institute of Professor Takei at Kyoto University. It goes without saying that he made use of the opportunity to visit Professor Morino at his institute in Tokyo. Several additional meetings followed, because the author had finally found a competent scientist with whom he was able to discuss issues of the absolute configuration determination of the groups of compounds he worked with. Of primary importance was the theoretical calculation of dipole moments of halogen compounds; in this respect, Morino was the author's teacher, also with regard to dipole measurements. Being a physicist, Professor Morino had constructed his own measuring apparatus and explained the principle to the author. Luckily, a company in the South of Germany started producing such measuring devices at the beginning of the 1960s. With funds from the Ministry of Defence in Bonn, the author was able to purchase the necessary apparatuses including measuring cells via DFG (German Research Association): PROJ XVIII. During a visit to Hamburg some time later - Morino, who had had a meeting in Norway, travelled back to Tokyo via Hamburg - Morino and the author spent hours over their calculations in a hotel. Morino was able to show that aromatic compounds with methoxy groups on the ring are unsuitable and cannot be used for calculation. This saved the author many unnecessary experiments regarding the methoxy isomerism he worked on, and he was able to bury false hopes regarding a few DDT analogues.

In the course of the years, many more personal meetings took place between Morino and the author both in Europe and in Asia; in 1978, they even met twice: On November 11 of that year, the author was a guest of honour on the occasion of Professor Morino's 70^th birthday party in Tokyo. At this "Morino-KOKI celebration", he gave two lectures details of which are reported in SPECIAL PART A);

Illustration 8: Morino with author

That will be all about Japan contacts from 1950 onwards which were strictly research related. Contacts with the Japanese industry began in 1958.

re 17) TORU AIKAWA

“Head” of YAMAKAWA and Company, Ltd., Tokyo.

Through a limited company in Berlin, he contacted the author in 1958, which was to be the beginning of a successful cooperation lasting for over 50 years.

Under T. Aikawa (illustration 9) and its former president, Mr. Hiroshi Kuriyama (illustration 10), YAMAKAWA & Comp. had established valuable contacts with the pharmaceutical and cosmetic industry such as TEIKOKUZOKI Pharm. K.K. (TEIZO), HOKURIKU and POLA, SHISEIDO etc. for whom the author developed several products until they were ready for production and market launch: CELLRYL for TEIZO[iv], n-PFE for POLA, collagens (starting substances of animal origin); CYTOCATALYZER, extracts (plant-based: yeast), cereal placentae: CELLRYEL ecc [18e,f]. The YAMAKAWA company provided the necessary chain (export firm in Germany, import firm in Japan, Yamakawa company in Tokyo, distributor organisation depending on the product type, Japanese industry for further processing, end users, especially in Asia); cf. private letter of Kuriyama next page.

Illustration 9: Toru Aikawa Illustration 10: Kuriyama

Letter of the first president of YAMAKAWA Company, Ltd.

The POLA company under director Ito played an important role for YAMAKAWA company and in this connection for the author. Together with Dr. Ito, the author created the cosmetic line EVANGIL by using a combination of protein-free placenta extract with SEREX at a ratio of 3 : 1 as a cosmetic additive. SEREX increased the metabolic activity of skin cells (more ATP, more energy), placenta extracts provided sufficient nutrients so that the skin is not leached out by the activation. EVANGYL was a very successful cosmetic line without any complaints from the female customers. In appreciation, the author received the POLA medal; here two photographs of the presentation of the medal by director Ito (1978):

Illustration 11a:

From left to right:

POLA President Susuki, the author, Director Ito.

Handshake after presentation of the POLA medal at the POLA meeting in Tokyo in 1978.

Illustration 11b:

From left to right:

Director Ito, the author with a lady who is presenting him with flowers after his speech of thanks.

Approximately 2000 female POLA representatives (from door-to-door sales in many countries) were present on this occasion. Because of the presentation of Riemschneider, they had seen a simultaneous 4 slide show with pictures of Germany, Berlin, Berlin Institute with the author and then finally: spot on the author in person.

Im Festsaal anwesend ca. 2000 POLA-Repräsentatinnen (from door to door-Verkauf in vielen Ländern) , denen vor dem Auftreten des Verfassers in 4 Dia-Produktionen gleichzeitig Bilder von Deutschland, dann von Berlin und zum Schluss vom Berliner Institut mit Verfasser gezeigt worden waren.

In the course of the author's visits to Japan, many amusing situations, events and incidents occurred, for example:

An involuntary switch of shoes:

The POLA cosmetic company of Tokyo and Yokohama had invited a total of 8 guests to a geisha dinner all of whom had taken off their shoes before entering the house. 8 pairs of black shoes stood side by side to be put on again after the dinner. Mix-ups were inevitable. When general goodbyes were said in the lobby of the author's hotel, the President of the Yamakawa Company, Mr. Kuriyama, pointed to the author's shoes and joked: "Professor stealing shoes." By accident, the author had put on the Kuriyama's shoes which came from Paris and were by far more expensive than his own. They fit him well, whereas the President who had bigger feet had problems with the author's shoes. The change-back was completed with much laughter - a great ending to the festive dinner sponsored by POLA. Unintended jokes are usually the best, and the Japanese love them. This and similar events bring fond memories even years later.

Firefly surprise:

One evening in August 1972, a dinner sponsored by the group TEIKOKUZOKI PHARM, Tokyo, was held. Afterwards, the participants were asked to come to the park-like garden of the restaurant to enjoy the surprise: fireflies which one would not expect in a huge city like Tokyo. There was a simple explanation: the fireflies originated form Northern Japan (Hokkaido) and were flown in every day to give pleasure to the guests in the evening.

Cormorant fishing in Gifu:

On the occasion of a visit to Japan in 1977, the YAMAKAWA Company, Ltd., Tokyo, arranged a trip to GIFU to watch cormorant fishing at night (not a regular tourist attraction). From the hotel situated along the Nagarawa river, we - all in Yukata dress - got onto a boat, went a short distance, were plied with food and drink and waited while Japanese dancers performed on a raft tied up in the river. Around 10 p.m., 8 to 10 cormorant fishing boats went by. Each boat had a burning bundle of twigs at the front to attract the fish and 10 to 15 cormorants on leashes to catch them.

A few comments on the private contacts with the Aikawa family in SPECIAL PART B).

Contacts in Italy:

re 18) GIUGLIO NATTA

Professor Natta, Direttore dell’Istituto di Chimica Industriale del Politecnico Milano, connoisseur of Italian mentality and the circumstances prevailing at the time, advised the author in 1951 against accepting the financially generous offer made by the Italian industry.

Following the lecture on the topic "Tiocarbamati" (later designated RIEMSCHNEIDER'S Reaction in literature) [24, 28] held in the Italian language on the occasion of the chemists' congress in Milano in September 1950, MONTECATINI (comparable to the German IG FARBEN) had made the author an offer to head a research lab and invited him to Milan for five weeks in April 1951 for negotiations and lectures.

At the beginning of April 1951, the author went to the library of the Polytechnic when he wanted to look at literature about camphene[v] and certain publications of Professor Fusco[vi] who worked for MONTECATINI. There he met Prof. Natta for the first time. In the ensuing conversation, Natta invited the author to lecture at internal colloquia at the institute on his special subjects "Lubricating Oil Syntheses" [25], "Assessment of vT Dependence" [25, 26], "Cyclisation of Alkines/Alkenes to Aromatics" [27] during the following two weeks.

At the end of April, the author went to Rome for the day to get General Nobiles view on the offer. Nobile adviced to talk through with Professor Natta, who incidentally was a close friend of his, the offer of MONTECATINI to conduct research on behalf of the company in Italy.

Natta, who was to win the Nobel Prize later, strongly advised to remain at a German university and take the opportunity to carry out research without being tied to a certain employer. A career in Italian industry or at an Italian university was not likely despite excellent results and talent, as long as the author did not belong to the Italian NOBILI, for example by marrying into one of these families.

That was good advice!

This fact was proven once more in 1969 when MONTECATINI was taken over by an American group with many consequences for the employees. That same year, a law passed in Berlin which had the objective of making universities "democratic" changed everything and "put an end" to many research projects. A former director and full professor was turned into "comrade professor" or "team head". Therefore, a change took place in any case in 1969, be it in Milan or Berlin.

Thanks to his research results, however, the author had been able in the meantime to establish many national and international contacts which enabled him to survive this radical change, i.e. to continue with his research projects and to finish most of them abroad. Thanks to his connections in the industry, the author succeeded in turning the losing situation resulting from the events in 1969 into a winning situation, i.e. less pure research in favour of “industrial research” yet still university teacher; cf. end note 19.

In the nineteen fifties and sixties, the author had many other occasions to "talk shop" with Professor Natta. The last of these was in May of 1964 in Milan when he spoke about the progress of his work in the field of "Investigations, constitution and physical properties (v,d,n) of organic compounds, primarily with respect to their lubricating oil characteristics" and about "Formulas for rating viscosity-temperature-dependence up to and including a method of maximum curvature C_max" at a colloquium at the Polytechnic; PROJ III in [26].

The various discussions and meetings with Professor Natta in the years between 1951 and 1963 which were both amicable and impressive had instilled great respect for this outstanding scientist in the author. He saw Natta's genius confirmed in 1963 when Natta [together with Professor Karl Ziegler of the Carbon Research Institute of Mühlheim/Ruhr] was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1963 for "Macromolecular Chemistry of Polyalkenes" (Niederdruckpolyalkene).

The author had made the personal acquaintance of Professor Ziegler in Essen when Ziegler took over the mentioned Fischer’s Carbon Research Institute - just at the time when the author was working at RUHRÖL in Bottrop.

The author heard the inauguration speech of Ziegler who stated: “… he – as a specialist in metal-organic chemistry – did not yet feeling himself very familiar with the petro chemistry, but he would do and give his best in this field as well as his excellent co-workers.”

re 19) DINO MAROTTA, Roma

The author obtained great help from Professor Dr. Dino Marotta. Important for this were his three positions and functions explained here:

- (a) as editor of the periodical „GAZZETTA CHIMICA ITALIANA“

- (b) as president of the „SOCIETÁ DELLA CHIMICA ITALIANA”

- (c) as director of the “ISTIUTO SUPERIORE DI SANITÁ” Roma

ad (a) It was possible to deposit a paper for later publication in 1940 in the GAZZETTA CHIMICA ITALIANA (issued 1947) explanation in “re 1)” ; several original papers published there later [23].

ad (b) Marotta invited the author to give lectures in Italy at Conventions from 1950 onwards.

He established contacts to the management of MONTECATINI, Milano, Via Turati, as well as with Prof Dr. A. Coppadoro, editor of the periodical “La CHIMICA E L’ INDUSTRIA”: collecting material for “Correspondenze dall’estero (dalla Germania) per quella Rivista” for 12 years; cf examples in SPECIAL PART H).

ad (c) Mutual interest in the field of PEST CONTROL RESEARCH. Long time co-operation with Prof Dr Alessandrini of the mentioned institute, both in Rome and in Berlin; cf. PROJ VI 5, Plates 15 and 17 in [1].

Prof.Alessandrini was interested in the analytics of chlorine insecticides and their environmental pollution. So the author told her about his ideas discussed with Prof. Schlossberger, University Jena in the 40ies [40] concerning the subject:

“Looking for microorganisms which are able to exterminate chlorine compounds in ground and water – as pollutant killer.”

DDT as well as M 410 are distinguished by a high residue effect – a problem in case of overdosing. Decomposition of the named insecticides can lead to many different Cl-containing products and components. Especially the smaller ones like chlorobenzene, Cl-contaning alcanes and alcenes could be “prey to microorganisms which are qualified to function as pollutant killer”.

In the 70ies and 80ies, we started more than 2000 model experiments with polluted soil contaminated with DDT, M 410, PCP, PCB, TCDD, or chlorobenzene, in Brasil, UFSM, checking the decease of Cl-content, checking for microorganisms, adding microorganisms – many soils imported (unpublished, cf PROJ. VIII in [1]).

re 20) UMBERTO NOBILE,

General, designer of airships ("Norge", "Italia"), later Professor for Aerodynamics at Naples University (1951).

Nobile, friendly attached to Professor Dr. G.Natta of the Polytechnic Milano, had intensified the personal contacts between the author and Natta. Nobile advised to respect the opinion of his friend concerning

MONTECATINI work ecc..

For many years, there had been amicable contacts between the Riemschneider family and General Nobile through Nobile's wife Gertrud, who was the daughter of a friend from the youth of Riemschneider's mother.

The author visited General Nobile in Rom in April 1951 when he spent a month in Milan for negotiations with MONTECATINI. Nobile suggested to discuss the decision regarding emigration to Italy to work for MONTECATINI with his friend Professor Natta, who was "more familiar with the chemical world of Italy" than he himself, a specialist in aerodynamics (re 18).

Thanks to the talks with General Nobile who had been the first to reach the North Pole together with Roald Amundsen in 1926 (airship "NORGE"), the author gained valuable insights into the field of aerodynamics and the topic "rocket-propelled space travel" during the years 1951, 1953 and later. Nobile had studied the research of Wernher von Braun thoroughly and closely followed the development of astronautics in the fifties in the United States, especially the topic of future trips to the moon (both manned and unmanned).

He was convinced it would be possible to overcome the earth's gravity with the aid of solid-fuel rockets, even better liquid-fuel rockets (liquid H₂ plus liquid O₂), to leave the earth and to move and work in space in suitable space suits.

He was to be proven right: First man on the moon in 1969 - General Nobile died in 1978.

Literature:

U. Nobile, Elementi di Aerodinamica - standard work

W. Cross, "Tragödie am Pol" ("Tragedy at the Pole"), Munich 2001

E. Behonnek, "Stehen Wache auf der Eisscholle" (Keeping watch on an ice floe), 1930

SPECIAL PART:

A) Morino-KOKI – Celebration to the 70^th birthday of Yonezo Morino

B) Private contacts to Aikawa family

C) “Bonds rich in energy”

D) Presentation of title “Dr.honoris causa”

E) η-Hexachlorocyclohexane

F) Reactions in compressed CO₂ – Inorganic-organic solvents

having a low melting point (polar ionic, non-aqueous solvents)

G) concerning Brazil

H) Correspondente dell’estero

J) Start and development of C₅Cl₆-chemistry in Germany

K) Explosives

A) Morino-KOKI - Celebration to his 70^th birthday

The cooperation with scientists of Japanese Universities and, later on, with the Japanese Pharmaceutical and Cosmetic Industry has been acknowledged in connection with the different individual projects.

Here are a few remarks on the topic "Morino-KOKI" in the year 1978, i.e. when the author was invited from Tokyo University as a guest of honour to the 70^th birthday of Dr. Yonezo Morino (second Japan-trip this year). The author considers himself a pupil of the physicist and physico-chemist Morino regarding the measurement and evaluation of dipole moments of chemical compounds. For many years, the two men were not only colleagues, but friends. On the occasion of the 70^th birthday of Prof. Morino, the author gave lectures on Nov 11, 1978, entitled:

1) "η-1,2,3,4,5,6-Hexachloro-cyclohexane - constitution and spatial structure“

in cooperation with Gg. R. Schultze, Y. Morino, O. Matter, H. Mutter, F.R. Pesserl, S. Takei, M.Z. Azhar - from 1945 on: [14a,b-16]; see also Tab 2 in E).

2) "Stereoisomes of monofluorenedecachlorocyclohexane -conversion isomerism"

in cooperation with Y. Morino, O. Matter, T.J. Shimozawa, S. Singer, W. Plieth, M.Z. Azhar (from 1949 on).

The research on this subject was 1978 still running.

A conclusive endreport and summary of all data are published together with Morino in 2007 [19]: conversion isomerism

A photograph of this event is shown in illustration 12.

Illustration 12: Morino-KOKI

On the occasion of the celebratory event: In the middle, Prof. Morino and his wife with the author to her right.

As a birthday present, the author had put together an album with photographs made between 1961 and 1977 on the occasion of personal meetings in Japan and Germany (with pertinent commentaries).

What does "Morino-KOKI" mean?

Koki, when added to the name of the celebrant, means "Ko" for "old" and "ki" for rare - i.e. in former times, a long life up to 70 years was very rare. In this connection, a few other important events celebrated in Japan and China are worth mentioning, namely Kanreki (60), Kiju (77), Sanju (80), Beiju (88) and others.

Survey with explanations in a letter from T. Aikawa, Yamakawa Comp. from 26 July 1998: Plate 5a,b.

As far as BEI JU is concerned, here is an addition derived from conversations with Japanese friends. The Chinese character for "BEI" of BEI JU also stands for rice. Rice does not have a great value, nor has the age of 88, at least not as far as health is concerned.

Plate: 5a

Plate 5b:

Characters of 5a

in print

Plate 6:

Professor Morino's thanks to the author were expressed in the form of a calligraphy he had made himself with a quotation of Confucius from his work "RONGO": "Great is the joy to see a friend who comes far".

On this occasion, it may be mentioned that - against the express wish of Prof. Riemschneider - the Free University celebrated his 60^th birthday (in the Japanese sense, a "Riemschneider-KANREKI"); cf. laudation for 17 Nov 1980

The reason why the author was so set against any celebrations at the University - including a big party for his 65^th (successfully deflected!) may be given in short: "State funeral with rocks in the coffin." One must not forget that, thanks to the new University Law passed in 1969, practically all of the author's research at the FU had to be discontinued: wide-spread research activities in different fields of chemistry were whittled down to one small team; last paragraphs in re 6). That his research could be continued nevertheless, became possible only through:

- Establishment of labs at BÖTTGER KG (then a GmbH) as head of research in 1968 - 1997,

- Utilisation of the facilities of the Brazilian Federal University Santa Maria (USM or UFSM, respectively) for which the author set up a chemical central institute with all branches of Chemistry (from 1963 – 73) according to the German model (from 1966 on).

- Assistance from Japanese scientists and the Japanese industry.

- Assistance from Farbwerke HOECHST even though the employment contract of more than 20 years had to be interrupted for some years (1969-75). Any cooperation with the "capitalist big industry" had to be stopped at the instigation of left-wing forces. About 30 years later, the same people active during the uprising of 1968 called for elite universities which they themselves had prevented (PROJ VIII 4,4 in [1]).

B) Private contacts with the Aikawa family:

Close contacts right from the beginning existed and still exist with the Aikawa family: The author saw Jun, the son of Aikawa and now President of the company, grow up, attended his wedding and was present on the occasion of the 25-year anniversary of the Yamakawa company in 1984.

Both Mr. Aikawa (then vice-president) and Mr. Kuriyama (then president) took the opportunity during each of the author's visits to Japan (annually from 1972 onwards for over 30 years) to introduce him to Japanese culture as requested: e.g. Kabuki and NO-theatre, cormorant fishing in Gifu, a firefly evening in the garden of a Japanese restaurant, Osaka castle, Japanese Doll Museum in Kyoto and doll trading, ivory trading (assistance on procuring antique ivory), Mongolian and Chinese restaurants (Seven Heaven), Kobe beef; Geisha party, Sumo wrestlers, visits to revues in Tokyo and Osaka.

There were also visits to the Imperial Palaces in Tokyo and Kyoto, feeding deer in Nara, trips to the Hakone area, temple in Nikko (3 monkeys), cherry blossoms, Daibutsu in Yokohama. Nightlife in Tokyo: Ginza, Ginza-Kaikan, pachinko game in Asakusa (A part of town approximately corresponding to the "Reeperbahn" in Hamburg). Asakusa is to be pronounced "asákßa" [The letter "u" is sometimes mute in the Japanese alphabet; this is important for the Japanese alphabet of syllables (ba, be, bi, bo, bu, ecc): ru = r, nu = n, ku = k. The word "bank" would then be spelled with the syllables Ba n(u) k(u)]. We visited districts of Tokyo with skyscrapers and experienced smaller "earthquakes". The earth moved almost during every visit to Japan!

A few words about an event which Aikawa reported to the author. Aikawa who had been born in China in 1932, lived in Japan by 1945, namely in the town of Nagasaki which was hit by the second atom bomb in August 1945. The only reason Aikawa survived was due to the fact that the city was separated by a mass of rock so that not all of Nagasaki was destroyed.

The older Mr. Aikawa visited the author in Germany six times. Later on they met in Paris a few times.

C) “Bonds rich in energy” in the „Biological Chemistry“

In Biological Chemistry the term “bonds rich in energy”, can be understood better by the term “bonds with higher group transfer potential”; meaning: the capacity of chemical compounds to store chemical energy, for instance in form of ATP, GTP, TTP ecc.

The author explained this subject in his lectures held for students of Chemistry, Biology and Medicine by means of Plates (here number 7-9) taken from his book “Material für Biochemische Einführungsvorlesungen“ [8] , first Edition 1969.

Plate 7:

The term "bonds rich in energy" does not relate to the true bonding energy of a covalent bond, but merely indicates that there is a comparatively large difference in energy between the reacting substance and the energy content of the reaction product. The change in the chemical potential upon transfer of the phosphate groups, for example from one molecule to the other, is substantial. The term "higher group transfer potential" seems better suited [8]; cf. also footnote 10.

Plate 8:

Plate 9:

Plate 10a:

Titel of [8]:

Plate 10b:

Introduction

to [8]:

Plate 10c:

General sketch of metabolism (cf. Illustration 6), taken from [8]:

D) Presentation of title “Dr.honoris causa”

When receiving his honorary doctorate on August 24, 1973, simultaneously with the title “Professor honoris causa” (documents from Aug 23th and Dec 7th,1973 in Plate 11a, b), the author gave the following lecture to the Senate of the Federal University of Santa Maria Santa Maria, UFSM (Universidade Federal de Santa Maria) which appears under lecture I below.

The author also gave a lecture on the occasion of the inauguration of the institute which had taken place on the same day as the meeting of the Senate in his honour (in the morning): lecture II

Lecture I R.Riemschneider, Discurso „Cooperação e contato Teuto-Brasiliera (no campo da pesquisa e tecnologia bem como no ensino e educação)”, Ministério Educação e Cultura Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, 24 de Agosto de 1973

Lecture II R.Riemschneider, Discurso para a inauguração do Instituto Central de Química no dia 24 de Agosto, 1973, Ministério Educação e Cultura UFSM, 24 de Agosto 1973

There is a photograph showing the presentation of the doctor's cap (illustration 13), also taken from the publication reporting on the awarding of the title [9]:

from right to left: Professor Dr.Jose Mariano da Rocha Filho, (Rektor der UFSM), Professor Dr.R.Riemschneider, Professor Dr.Domingo Crossetti, (Dekan), Professor Dr.Helios Bernardi, (Prorektor).

Lecture I [9]:

Illustration 14 shows a photo taken in the morning of August 24, 1973, on occasion of the inauguration of the Chemical Central Institut – photo placed after the text of lecture II.

Lecture II [9]:

In the following Plates 11a and 11b you find the copies of the documents concerning the title presentations to Prof.Dr.Randolph Riemschneider:

- O TÍTULO DE DOUTOR “HONORIS CAUSA”

pelos relevantes serviços prestados a Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, a Ciencia e a Humanidade

- O TÍTULO DE PROFESSOR “HONORIS CAUSA”

pelos relevantes serviços presentados a Universidade Federal de Santa Maria, e ao Ensino Superior Brasileiro

REPUBLICA FEDERATIVA DO BRASIL

MINISTERIO DA EDUCAÇÃO E CULTURA

UNIVERSIDADE FEDERAL DE SANTA MARIA.

Illustration 14: Photo taken in occasion of the inauguration of the Central institute on 24 August 1973

(3) (1) (2)

View in a laboratory during the first round – showing the following representatives of the UFSM:

1: Professor Dr.José Mariano da Rocha Filho, Vice-chancellor

2: Professor Dr.Helios Bernardi, Prorector

3: Author, Diretor Coordinador of the Chemical Central Institute

Plate 11 a:

Plate 11b:

E) h-1,2,3,4,5,6-Hexachloro-cyclohexane (h-I), chair-configuration 1e2e3e4a5e6a (and z-I: 1e2e3a4e5a6a)

Constitution of h-I:

That the new isomer h-I belongs to the 1,2,3,4,5,6-serie is shown by the treatment with Zn-dust (→ benzene), and with alkali (→trichlorobenzenes), carried out with micro amounts

Configuration of h-I:

Determined by dipolmoment measurements: e.e.e.a.e.a,

found: 3,2 D, calc. 3,5 D [14b]. RAMAN-spectra - 611b in [1].

With exception of the isomer e.a.e.a.e.a all theorectical possible chair-configurations of the 1,2,3,4,5,6-series were isolated and determined; so performed from the author on 15 Aug 1964 in the colloquium held in Sala de Atos, Edificio sede da UFSM, Santa Maria, RS, Brasil

List of the isolated C₆H₆Cl₆-isomers

a - C₆H₆Cl₆ mp. 159°C (e.e.e.e.a.a)

b - C₆H₆Cl₆ mp. 309°C (e.e.e.e.e.e)

g - C₆H₆Cl₆ mp. 113°C (e.e.e.a.a.a)

d - C₆H₆Cl₆ mp. 139°C (e.e.e.e.e.a)

e - C₆H₆Cl₆ mp. 218°C (e.e.a.e.e.a)

z - C₆H₆Cl₆ mp. 88/89°C (e.e.a.e.a.a) *

h - C₆H₆Cl₆ mp. from 70°C (e.e.e.a.e.a)

In Table 2 there will be shown the spatial structure of the seven isomers.

* z-I: The real** z-1,2,3,4,5,6-Hexachloro-cyclohexan, mp 88-89° C (z-I) is described in ref (608) in PROJ IX (1), here ref (20)

Our proof of constitution: z-I belongs to the 1,2,3,4,5,6 series because it is converted to benzene through the zinc dust treatment, cleaving 6 Cl atoms. When exposed to alkali it reacts, forming trichlorobenzenes (cleaving 3 HCl).

Our proof of configuration: Short-term chlorination of z-I in an open vessel to CCl₄ resulted in an oil from which were obtained by means of chromatographic adsorption: d-1,1,2,3,4,5,6-heptachloro-cyclohexane with a melting point of 138 to 140° C (d-IV of the configuration ea.e.e.a.a.e) and a-1,1,2,3,4,4,5,6-octachloro-cyclohexane with a melting point of 93°C (a-III of the configuration ea.e.e.ea.e.a).

stepwise chlorination of z-I: z-C₆H₆Cl₆ mp 88 - 89°C (e.e.a.e.a.a) → d-C₆H₅Cl₇mp 138 - 140°C (ea.e.e.a.a.e) [d-IV] → a-C₆H₄Cl₈ mp 93°C (ea.e.e.ea.e.a) [a-III]

** About the so-called z-isomer, an C₆H₆Cl₆ isomer[vii] with Cl-atoms in the position 1,1,2,4,4,5 [and not in 1,2,3,4,5,6 as believed Hassel and co-worker and called it by mistake z-isomer] see 5 publications in [21] and also next page.

"zeta-Gezeter" (Gezeter: Much ado about nothing) over the zeta-isomer or the "zeta-isomers" of C₆H₆Cl₆(ζ- C₆H₆Cl₆)

[This concludes Part II of the three-part series in which this paper appears; Part III will appear in the upcoming January-February 2009 issue]