Otto Richard Gottlieb, Czech-born Jewish Brazilian phytochemist and biogeochemist (Brno, Czech Republic 31 Aug 1920 – Rio de Janeiro 19 June 2011) 

From Czech father and Brazilian mother

ACHIEVEMENTS

Authored 656 publications (papers, book chapters, 5 books & 2 patents), 637 lectures and 1181 communications to congresses.

Founder Quantitative Chemobiology

With Nei R. de Brito and Maria R. de Mello B. Borin. Quantitative Chemobiology. Pure & Applied Chemistry. 73(3):583-8, 2001.

Founder chemosystematics or Plant Biochemical Systematics  

Showed how certain pathways could be employed for classification.

With Maria Auxiliadora Coelho Kaplan, developed a nomenclature system of chemical compounds in which organic tridimensional structure is displayed as a nodal geometric form  representing atoms and links

With M.A.C. Kaplan. RNS (Replacement-Nodal-Substractive) nomenclature and codes of chemical compounds. J. Chem. Inf. Comp. Sci. 26(1):1-3, 1986.   

Proposed a new indicator (Taxonomic Singularity indicator)

With M.R. de M.B. Borin. The Diversity of Plants: Where is it? Why is it there? What will it become? Anais Acad. Bras. Ciencias 66 (Suppl): 55-83, 1994. 

Proposed herbaceousness index 

Micromolecular Evolution, systematics and Ecology. An essay into a novel botanical discipline. Springer Verlag, Berlin. 1982   

Identified hundred of new lignoids and discovered a new group that named neolignans

Chemosystematics of Lauraceae. Phytochemistry 11:1537-1570, 1972. 

Discovered dalbergiones, a new class of natural products  and suggested the name neoflavanoids 

With W.B. Eyton, W.D. Ollis, I.O. Sutherland, L.M. Jackman & M. Taveira Magalhães. The neoflavanoid group of natural products. I. Dalbergiones: a new group of natural products. Tetrahedron 21(9):2683-96, 1965   

Identified and isolated the first odoriferous nitroderived compound (1-nitro-2-phenylethane) in essential oils (with Mauro Taveira Magalhães)

With M. T. Magalhães. Occurrence of 1-nitro-2-phenylethane in Ocotea pretiosa and Aniba canelilla. J. Org. Chem. 24:2070, 1959.

Isolated anibine alkaloid from Aniba duckei, the first aryl a-pyrone alkaloid displaying an aryl-heterocyclic group

With W.B. Mors & C.Djerassi. The Chemistry of Rosewood. Isolation and Structure of Anibine and 4-Methoxyparacotoin. J. Am.Chem. Soc. 79(16):4507-11, 1957.

Obtained the first naturally occurring polyhydroxylated pyrrolizidine carboxylic acid

With A.C.S. Pereira, J.G.S. Maia, M.A.C. Kaplan, R.J. Nash, G. Fleet, L. Pearse, D.F. Watkin & A.M. Scofield. Isolation of 7a-epialexaflorine from leaves of Alexa grandiflora, an unique pyrrolizidine amino acid with carboxylic acid substituent at C3. Tetrahedron 47(290):5637-40, 1991

Isolated a new type of natural 6-styryl-2-pyrones from Aniba parviflora and reported a general route for their synthesis 

With A.M. Bittencourt, W.B. Mors, M.T. Magalhães, S. Mageswaran, W.D. Ollis & I.O. Sutherland. The natural occurrence of 6-styryl-2-pyrones and their synthesis. Tetrahedron 27(5):1043-8, 1971

First to isolate 5,6 dehydrokavain from a natural source 

With W.B. Mors. Identity of compound A from kava root with 5,6 dehydrokavain. J. Org. Chem. 24(10):1614-5, 1959

First report of natural occurrence of isoflavans

With K. Kurosawa, W.D. Ollis,, B.T. Redman, I.D. Sutherland, A. B. De Oliveira & H.M. Alves. The natural occurrence of isoflavans and an isoflavan quinone. Chem. Comm.20:1263-4, 1968

With W.D. Ollis, B.T. Redman, R.J. Roberts & I.O. Sutherland recognized the neoflavenes, a new neoflavanoid type (1968)  

With R. Braz Filho, W.B. Eyton & M. T. Magalhães. A química de leguminosas brasileiras. XII. As apuleínas, flavona-hepta oxigenadas da Apuleia leiocarpa.  An. Acad. Bras. Cien. 40(1):23-7, 1968

With J.R. de Souza. 14 oxopeltoginano, novo tipo de flavanona tetraciclina. Cien. Cult. 20(2):152-3, 1968

Found the natural occurrence of benzyl styrenes (c.1966)

With F.J. Mattos obtained the first isocucurbitacins (1967)

With S.J. Gabriel obtained the first tovoxanthone (1972)

With M.C.M. Miraglia, A.A.L. Mesquita, A.P.Paula et al. obtained a dihydrochalcone with a novel structure from fern Pityrogramma calomelanos (1983)

With Z.S. Ferreira, N.C. Roque & H.E. Gottlieb obtained a distinct type of benzofuranoid neolignan (1982)

With M.G.B. Zoghbi & N.F. Roque obtained the first coumarinoneolignan (1981)

With V. da Silva, M.T. Magalhães, H.E. Gottlieb & M.A. Alvarenga obtained diasin, a novel rearranged labdanic diterpene (1978)

With J.F. Castelão Jr, R.A. de Lima et al. obtained the first xanthonolignan (1977)

With J.C. Aiba & R. Braz Filho proposed the structure of neolignan porosin (1973)

With R.G.C. Correa & C.J. Aiba. Natural occurrence of Erdtmann’s dehydrodiisoeugenol. Phytochem. 12:1163-4, 1973

With J. Rego de Sousa found 2 novel types of natural peltogynoids (1972)

With N.C. Franca, D.T. Coxon & W.D. Ollis obtained rubrenolide and rubrynolide, two structurally novel natural products from Nectandra rubra (1972) 

With L.M. Conserva, M. Yoshida, J.C. Martínez & H.E. Gottlieb. The chemistry of Brazilian Myristicaceae. XXXII. Iryantherins, lignoflavonoids of novel structural types from the Myristicaceae. Phytochemistry 29:3911-8, 1990

With N. Boralle proposed oligostilbenes as a new class of condensed tannins  (1989)

With M.A. de Alvarenga discovered microandrols, a new class of natural phenanthrenes (1973)

Papers in top journals

With W.B. Mors. Phylogeny of the genus Aniba Aubl. A comparative morphological and chemical observation. Nature 184 (4698):1589, 1959

METHODS

A method for volumetric determination of ionic nitrate

With M. Taveira Magalhães. Determinação volumétrica do íon nitrato. Bol. Inst. Quim. Agr. 47:7-18, 1956

A new rapid method for quantitative determination of linalol

Novo método para a determinação quantitativa do linalol. Revista de Quimica Industrial 16:222, 1947.

A process for obtaining anibine and its transformation to nicotinic acid (1967)

A process for obtaining 4-methoxy-paracotoin and its transformation to piperonyl-radical containing substances (1963) 

DEVICES

Proposed and patented gasometric titrimetry

Simple instrument for titrimetric without indicators. Gas pressure end-point technique. VIII. Acid-base reactions. Anal. Chim.Acta 13:101-107, 1955

Dispositivo simples para titrimetria sem indicadores. I. Acidimetria e alcalimetria. An. Assoc. Quim. Brasil 12:29-33, 1953

Titrimetria gasométrica. Bol. Inst. Quim. Agricola 42 (1955)

Titrimetria sem indicadores. Eng. Quim. 5(7):6-9, 1953

Simple instrument for titrimetry without visual indicators. Gasometric titrations. X. Cerimetry, chlorometry, nitrate, nitrite, hydroxide and carbonate determination. Anal. Chim. Acta 13(6):531-42, 1955

Simple instrument for titrimetry without visual indicators. Gas pressure end-point. IX. Iodometry, iodimetry, iodate and periodate titrimetry. Anal. Chim. Acta 13(3):214-21, 1955

Developed a Clevenger apparatus modified 

With M.T. Magalhães. Modified distillation trap. Chemist. Analyst 49(4):114, 1960.

HONORS

Pergamon Phytochemistry Prize, Pergamon Press (1992)

Doctor Honoris Causa, Universitat Hamburg, 1988

Chemistry Nobel Prize nominee (1998, 1999 & 2000)