Pedro Narciso Arata Unzué, Argentine pharmacist and organic chemist (Buenos Aires 29 October 1849 – Buenos Aires 05 November 1922)

From Genoese father

Performed studies on bromatology, phtochemistry and agricultural chemist

CHEMICALS 

With Italian Francesco Canzoneri isolated sesquiterpene winterene from Wintera aromatica (1890) and first prepared pilijanine in pure state (1891)

With F. Canzoneri isolated alkaloid moradeine from Pogonopus tubulosus

With Carlos Gelzer isolated and characterized morrenol from Morrenia sp. 

Isolated alkaloid baccharine from Baccharis coridifolia

Isolated and identified alkaloid saccharine from Baccharis cordifolia Lam. (1877)

Identified the quebrachitannic acid from quebracho colorado

Sobre el acido quebratànico? quebrachitânico? (asi dice antes) del quebracho colorado (Lozopterigium lorentzi Gris.) 1879

Isolated and identified alkaloid berberine from calafate

Analisis de la madera del calafate (Berberis buxifolia L; B. macrophylla Fost. 1879)

METHODS

With pharmacist José Poisa developed Arata method or double dye method (1884) improved by Italian Posetto and known as Arata-Posetto test, used for detection of artificial organic colouring matters of acid character in foods

Described a methodology for studying active principles from plants

Guía para analisis inmediato de los vegetales (1879)

Metodo para la investigación de los colores derivados del alquitrán en los vinos

Eponym of Arata method for caffeine

SOME BIBLIOGRAPHY

With F. Canzoneri. Beitrage zur kenntniss des Pillijau (Lycopodium saururus) Lam.

Apuntes sobre la cera contenida en las hojas de la yerba mate. Anales Soc. Cient. Arg 3, 1877

Sobre un alcaloide encontrado em mio-mio (Baccharis coridifolia Lam.). Anales Soc. Cient. Arg 4:34-6, 1877

Estudio sobre acido quebrachotanico. Anales Soc. Cient. Arg 1878-9

Estudio quimico de la Persea lingue. Anales Soc. Cient. Arg. 10:195-6, 1880

With F. Canzoneri. Studio sulla vera corteccia di Winter (Drimys winteri). Gazz. Chim. Ital. 18:527-39, 1888

La Morrenia brachystephana Gr., vulgo tassi y sus propriedades galactogogas. Anales Dep. Nac. Higiene 1:65-73, 1891   

Contribución al estudio del tanino contenido en la yerba mate. Anales Soc. Cient. Arg 1897