The Sciences: Chemistry:

 

Surprises in Chemistry – Three Examples

 

by Dr. Dr. Randolph Riemschneider, B.Fel.

Berlin, Germany

 

 

In "75 Years Chemistry - Re-Reading" [1], it is shown that chemistry is always good for surprises. For the author it all began with:

 

1929/36 with yeast [and fermentation (alcohol[1])] in grandmother´s kitchen [1a] –

1934/35 with glue/gelatin, with some of the 150 experiments described in the Kosmos-Baukasten (Textbook: "Alles was im Hause ist, untersucht der Alchemist" ) [2].

 

Further on in the author's life, the cited classes of products played a special role and yielded surprising results – results one would not have expected considering how intensely and for how many years 1) yeast, 2) gelatine, and 3) alcohols have been investigated.  A combination of providence and intuition?

 

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The re-examination of the so-called "preservation of yeast with different salts" - practised by the author's grandmother 1929 - led the author to unknown yeast preparations in 1936/8 [1b]. To these yeast preparations [I, later called Y20] his dog reacted with extraordinary greed. This I, in turn, triggered feeding experiments with rabbits and  generally showed a proven metabolism-enhancing effect, for example, by the enhancement of fermentation and respiration in WARBURG experiments [1c]; I was first applied in the feed industry as Y2000 (based on Y20 [1d]), and was successfully used for many years in cosmetology in Japan as CYTOCATALYZER: PROJ. XXII  [1e], in medicine in Japan [1s]  but also I in 3).

 

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During 1934/35, the author prepared glue and gelatine from bones according to a "Kosmos formula" [2]. He learnt more about this in 1936 through his father's brother Fritz, also called Glue Fritz [Leimfritze], as he was a specialist for the manufacture of natural glues. In 1952, gelatine began to play a role (together with Y20 made of yeast) in connection with experiments on: "Sheet yeast from roll-dried yeast cell preparations (I) for wound dressings and plasters" [1i]. Since wound healing was shown to be improved considerable by Y20 yeast preparations (I) in animal experiments, we had developed sheet-yeast plasters suitable for cutting by subjecting I to roll drying with addition of gelatine to guarantee an additional wound healing effect (later also with collagen addition).

 

In the university teaching hospital of the Brazilian UFSM headed by Professor Dr Mariano da Rocha Filho, many practical applications of wound healing dressings and plasters with sheet yeast of  + gelatine (collagen) were carried out on test persons from 1963/70 onwards and received a positive rating throughout [(1214) in PROJ.XXII] [1e].

 

In 1953/55, the author, Vogt and Matter (1382a) investigated the question whether gelatine is useful as a substitute for plasma: partially hydrolysed gelatines having a molar weight of 14,000 - 17,000 - pH 5.9 - IP 4.6 - with added NaCl-. 5 % gelatine solutions also containing 1.5 % of fructose and NaCl/KCl turned out to be useful as a plasma substitute (use in the medical practice of Dr. Vogt, Berlin, after surgical procedures and  toxaemia) [1k].

 

The author remembered these experiments in 2012 when a friend spoke to him about his problems:

 

     After a second prostate operation which was necessary to widen the outlet of the bladder, blood kept being found in the urine of the patient. Measures taken to find the cause such as cystoscopy, computer tomography and such like did not yield any result. In view of the patient's advanced age, the doctors had advised against surgery.

 

The author recommended to apply gelatine in form of jelly bears (or gelatine in mixture with Y20). Because of the good water solubility of the gelatine the author preferred to start with the oral application of gelatine alone. The experiences collected in 1952, 1963-1970 had been proved to stop bleeding and haemorrghins by gelatine.

 

His friend followed the author´s recommendation concerning jelly bears: Bulls eye! 10-16 jelly bears pro day for one week, later 2-4 weekly: No blood anymore in the urine.

 

The author regarded this result in his "Re-Reading – 75 Years Chemistry" in Part V-A [1L]. A publication in a medical periodical seemed the author not to be justified, because only one case (isolated case). It´s now up to the urologists to continue investigating to confirm or to disprove.

Author’s recommendation: after every prostate or bladder operation the urologist should “prescribe” prophylactically jelly bears. The author informed the urologist Prof. Fabricius.

 

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When the author studied literature on alcoholic fermentation (resulting in ethanol) and glycolysis (resulting in lactic acid) in the 1930s, he found phosphoric acid esters as intermediate products in both cases and, in 1934, Lohmann's ATP (isolated from muscle tissue and described in 1929). This was continued in lectures during the years 1940 and 1944 under the heading "fermentation and respiration" [1f], criticising the term energy-rich compound/bound. The author had found genuine compounds rich in energy at the Institute for Explosives in Prague in 1943 [1g]. From 1947 to 1949, he worked at Lohmann's Institute for Physiological Chemistry at Berlin University. Lohmann was the one who initiated the author's university career [1h].

 

The class of alcohols and ethanol itself did not play a very special role in the chemical investigations of the author until later, approximately from the 1960s onwards: Applications in PROJ. XXIII. However, more detailed information will be provided in PROJ XXVII. This is a result which will surprise every chemist and delight physicians after having collected in clinical tests on patients for over 20 years: CELLRYL, Ulcustheraoeuticum [6].

 

 

There are further surprises in the six volumes of Re-Reading" [1] where are treated very different subjects: Diversity is extremely important for the future of chemistry. This was a ground rule for the author right from the beginning when he became active in the field of chemistry and has been ever since. One example: parallel work

 - on yeast/organ extracts: PROJ. XXII/XXIII

 - on petrochemistry: on hydrocarbons of the lubricant type: PROJ. II [1m],

 - on pest control research: starting in PROJ. II and then continued from PROJ. VI onwards [1n, p].

It is a necessity to develop substitutes long before we RUN OUT OF mineral oil, for example by processing biological synthetics such as those on the basis of  wood/cellulose/lignin.

 

We must not repeat the mistakes made in Germany after the first mineral oil crisis: alternative energies should have been tackled in our country immediately after the 1973 crisis and not 30 to 40 years later [3]. In 1973, we had far fewer obligations – the costly reunification of the two German states and Berlin [1r] was far off, the European Union had not really started, and we still had the valuable Deutschmark, i.e. in 1973 we would have gotten many things at half price.

 

As the correspondence at the time shows, the US-Americans reacted right away in 1973 [4] and contacted the author who had experiences with Pitch High Pressure Hydrogenation Plant (700at, 500°C, MoS2) working there 1943/44: RUHRÖL [5]

 

 

Bibliography:

 

[1]     R.Riemschneider, 75 Years Chemistry - Re-Reading, 2011/14, six Parts: ISBN, Part I  978-1-882292-28-8, p794; Part II 978-1-882292-34-9, p903; Part III 978-l-882292-35-6,  p925; Part IV 978-l-882292-36-3, p 967; Part V-A+Part V-B >2000pages (in press).

[1a]   Part V-A, p354 and p 357 (1195)

[1b]   Part V-A, p357:  (1195)

[1c]   Part V-A, p362/4:  (1206a) – (1207)

[1d]   Part II, p540-597

[1e]   Part V-A, p434ff

[1f]      Part V-A, p359:  (1198b) – (1199b): author’s lectures

[1g]  Part I, p374 – 418

[1h]   Part IV, p952/3; Part V-A, p 6

[1i]   Part V-A, p366/7:  (1214)

[1k]   Part V-B, p748:  (1383a)

[1L]  Part V-B, p 935: PROJ XXIV 4.10

[1m] Part I, p447ff

[1n]   Part I, p724ff

[1o]  Part I, p623

[1p]  Part II, p605ff

[1r]      Part V-A, p 337

[1s]   unpublished

[2]     H.Reinitzer, in [1] Part I, p19: Vita Riemschneider

[3]     Part V-A, p 346: ref. (12j)

[4]     US commission in Berlin 1973: Part I, p 623/4, 619

[5]     Angew.Chem. B 19, 92/3 (1947)

[6]     Inventor: the author, Part II, p.311-315; Part V-A, p.876, and PROJ. XIII in Part V-B.



[1]    see ad 3)



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