Manfred Theodor Reetz (born 13 August 1943)[1] is a German chemist and professor of organic chemistry, who served as director of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research from 1991 until 2011. His research focuses on directed evolution, enzymes in organic chemistry, and stereoselective biocatalysis.[2]

Manfred T. Reetz
Born (1943-08-13) 13 August 1943 (age 80)
CitizenshipGermany
EducationUniversity of Göttingen (PhD, 1969)
University of Michigan
Washington University
AwardsLeibniz Prize (1989)
Nagoya Gold Medal Award (2000)
Centenary Prize (2002)
Ziegler Prize (2005)
Prelog Medal (2006)
Arthur C. Cope Award (2009)
Tetrahedron Prize (2011)
Otto Hahn Prize (2011)
IKCOC Prize (2012)
Scientific career
FieldsOrganic chemistry
Institutions Max Planck Institute for Coal Research, Mülheim
Doctoral advisorUlrich Schöllkopf

Biography edit

Reetz was born in Hirschberg, Lower Silesia, in 1943 and immigrated to the US in 1952.[1][3] After studying chemistry at Washington University in St. Louis and the University of Michigan, he returned to Germany to obtain his Ph.D. under Ulrich Schöllkopf at the University of Göttingen. He subsequently worked as a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Marburg where he completed his habilitation in 1978. After two years at the University of Bonn, he returned to Marburg as full professor in 1980. In 1991 he was appointed director of the Max Planck Institute for Coal Research in Mülheim, a position that he held until 2011.[1][2]

Honors and awards edit

Among the awards that Reetz has received are the Leibniz Prize (1989),[1] the Nagoya Gold Medal Award of Organic Chemistry (2000),[1] the RSC Centenary Prize (2002),[4] the Karl Ziegler Prize [de] (2005),[5] the Prelog Medal [de] (2006),[6] the ACS Arthur C. Cope Award (2009),[7] the Tetrahedron Prize (2011),[8] the Otto Hahn Prize (2011),[3] and the International Kyoto Conference on New Aspects of Organic Chemistry (IKCOC) Prize (2012).[9] He was elected to the German Academy of Sciences Leopoldina in 1997.[10] He was elected a foreign member of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2005.[11]

Selected publications edit

  • Reetz, Manfred (2016). Directed evolution of selective enzymes : catalysts for organic chemistry and biotechnology. Weinheim, Germany: Wiley-VCH. ISBN 978-3-527-31660-1. OCLC 958482460.

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e "Organische Synthese" [Organic Synthesis]. Max-Planck-Institut für Kohlenforschung (in German). 17 February 2012. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  2. ^ a b "75th Birthday: Manfred T. Reetz". ChemistryViews. 13 August 2018. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  3. ^ a b "M. Reetz Receives Otto Hahn Prize". ChemistryViews. 22 November 2011. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  4. ^ "RSC Centenary Prizes". Royal Society of Chemistry. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  5. ^ "Karl-Ziegler-Stiftung" [Karl Ziegler Foundation]. Gesellschaft Deutscher Chemiker e.V. (in German). Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  6. ^ "Frühere Prelog-Lektoren und deren Laudatien" [Previous Prelog Lecturers]. ETH Zürich. 13 March 2018. Archived from the original on 4 September 2017. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  7. ^ "Arthur C. Cope Award". American Chemical Society. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  8. ^ Taylor, Richard J.K. (2012). "The 2011 Tetrahedron prize for creativity in organic chemistry". Tetrahedron. 68 (37). Elsevier BV: 7529. doi:10.1016/j.tet.2012.07.050. ISSN 0040-4020.
  9. ^ "M. Reetz Wins IKCOC Prize". ChemistryViews. 12 November 2012. Retrieved 5 November 2018.
  10. ^ "Mitgliederverzeichnis - Prof. Dr. Manfred T. Reetz" [Member Directory - Prof. Manfred T. Reetz]. Leopoldina (in German). 4 June 2018. Retrieved 4 November 2018.
  11. ^ "Manfred Reetz". Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences. Archived from the original on 26 April 2020.