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Albert Hofmann
Albert Hofmann in 1993
Born	January 11, 1906(1906-01-11) Baden, Switzerland
Died	April 29, 2008 (aged 102) Burg im Leimental, Switzerland
Residence	Switzerland
Nationality	Swiss
Fields	Chemist
Alma mater	University of Zürich
Known for	Synthesis of LSD-25

Albert Hofmann (January 11, 1906 – April 29, 2008^[1][2]) was a Swiss scientist best known for having been the first to synthesize, ingest and learn of the psychedelic effects of lysergic acid diethylamide (LSD). Hofmann authored more than 100 scientific articles and wrote a number of books, including LSD: My Problem Child. On January 11, 2006, Hofmann became a centenarian, and the occasion of his 100th birthday was the focus of an international symposium on LSD.^[2] Image File history File links Gnome_globe_current_event. ... Abbott Howard Abbie Hoffman (November 30, 1936 – April 12, 1989) was a social and political activist in the United States who co-founded the Youth International Party (Yippies). Later he became a fugitive from the law, who lived under an alias following a conviction for dealing cocaine. ... Image File history File linksMetadata Albert_Hofmann_Oct_1993. ... is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Baden old town Location within Switzerland Baden is a town in the Swiss canton of Aargau, on the left bank of the river Limmat, 25 km N.W. of Zürich. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... Burg im Leimental is a municipality in the district of Laufen, in the canton of Basel-Country, Switzerland. ... A chemist pours from a round-bottom flask. ... For other uses, see Alma mater (disambiguation). ... The University of Zurich (in German: Universität Zürich) is the largest university of Switzerland, in the city of Zurich. ... LSD blotter paper D-Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, commonly called acid, LSD, or LSD-25, is the most powerful semisynthetic hallucinogen and psychedelic entheogen. ... is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1906 (MCMVI) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Sunday of the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... In chemistry, chemical synthesis is purposeful execution of chemical reactions in order to get a product, or several products. ... In general terms, eating (formally, ingestion) is the process of consuming something edible, i. ... For psychedelics, see psychedelic drug. ... LSD redirects here. ... is the 11th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 2006 (MMVI) was a common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... A centenarian is a person who has attained the age of 100 years or more. ... LSD redirects here. ...

Life

Hofmann was born in Baden, Switzerland, and studied chemistry at the University of Zürich. His main interest was the chemistry of plants and animals, and he later conducted important research regarding the chemical structure of the common animal substance chitin, for which he received his doctorate. Baden old town Location within Switzerland Baden is a town in the Swiss canton of Aargau, on the left bank of the river Limmat, 25 km N.W. of Zürich. ... For other uses, see Chemistry (disambiguation). ... The University of Zurich (in German: Universität Zürich) is the largest university of Switzerland, in the city of Zurich. ... Structure of the chitin molecule, showing two of the N-Acetylglucosamine units that repeat to form long chains in beta-1,4 linkage. ...

Discovery of LSD

Main article: History of LSD#Discovery and history

Hofmann joined the pharmaceutical-chemical department of Sandoz Laboratories (now Novartis), located in Basel. He began studying the medicinal plant squill and the fungus ergot as part of a program to purify and synthesize active constituents for use as pharmaceuticals. While researching lysergic acid derivatives, Hofmann first synthesized LSD-25 in 1938. It was set aside for five years, until April 16, 1943, when Hofmann decided to take another look at it. While re-synthesizing LSD, he accidentally absorbed a small quantity through his fingertips ^[3] and serendipitously discovered its powerful effects before his bicycle ride home. Three days later, on April 19, Hofmann deliberately consumed 250 micrograms of LSD. This was followed by a series of self-experiments conducted by Hofmann and his colleagues. He first wrote about these experiments on April 22 of that year. LSD blotter paper. ... Sandoz is the generics subsidiary of Novartis, one of the Big Pharma pharmaceutical companies. ... Novartis headquarters in Basel Suffern, New York: the sole Novartis pharmaceutical production facility in the United States. ... For other uses, see Basel (disambiguation). ... ... Squill or squill liquid is a substance derived from a plant and is used as an ingredient in cough medicine, and in cardiac surgery. ... For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ... Species About 50, including: Claviceps africanum Claviceps fusiformis Claviceps paspali Claviceps purpurea Ergot is the common name of a fungus in the genus Claviceps that is parasitic on certain grains and grasses. ... Pharmacology (in Greek: pharmacon is drug, and logos is science) is the study of how chemical substances interfere with living systems. ... Lysergic acid, also known as D-lysergic acid and (+)-lysergic acid, is a precursor for a wide range of ergoline alkaloids that are produced by the ergot fungus and some plants. ... is the 106th day of the year (107th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1943 (MCMXLIII) was a common year starting on Friday (the link will display full 1943 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 109th day of the year (110th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 112th day of the year (113th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

Further research

Hofmann became director of the natural products department at Sandoz and went on studying hallucinogenic substances found in Mexican mushrooms and other plants used by the aboriginal people. This led to the synthesis of psilocybin, the active agent of many "magic mushrooms."^[5] Hofmann also became interested in the seeds of the Mexican morning glory species Rivea corymbosa, the seeds of which are called Ololiuhqui by the natives. He was surprised to find the active compound of Ololiuhqui, ergine (lysergic acid amide), to be closely related to LSD. Sandoz is the generics subsidiary of Novartis, one of the Big Pharma pharmaceutical companies. ... For other uses, see Mushroom (disambiguation). ... Psilocybin (also known as psilocybine) is a psychedelic alkaloid of the tryptamine family, found in psilocybin mushrooms. ... Psychedelic mushrooms is a general term for fungi that contain psychoactive substances. ... This article is about the plant. ... Binomial name Rivea corymbosa (L.)Hallier f. ... Binomial name Rivea corymbosa (L.)Hallier f. ... LSA, also known as d-lysergic acid amide, d-lysergamide, ergine, and LA-111, is an alkaloid of the ergoline family that occurs in various species of vines of the Convolvulaceae and some species of fungi. ...

In 1962, he and his wife Anita traveled to southern Mexico to search for the plant "Ska Maria Pastora" (Leaves of Mary the Shepherdess), later known as Salvia divinorum. He was able to obtain samples of this plant but never succeeded in identifying its active compound which has since been identified as the diterpenoid Salvinorin A. Year 1962 (MCMLXII) was a common year starting on Monday (the link is to a full 1962 calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Binomial name Epling & Játiva[1] Salvia divinorum, also known as Diviners Sage,[2] Magic Mint,[2] María Pastora,[3] Sage of the Seers, or simply Salvia (although the genus name is shared among many plants), is a powerful psychoactive plant, a member of the sage genus and... The terpenoids, sometimes referred to as isoprenoids, are a large and diverse class of naturally occurring organic chemicals similar to terpenes, derived from five-carbon isoprene units assembled and modified in thousands of ways. ... Salvinorin A is the main active psychotropic constituent of the plant Salvia divinorum (diviners sage, Mexican mint). ...

Albert Hofmann in 2006

In 1963, Hofmann attended the annual convention of the World Academy of Arts and Sciences (WAAS) in Stockholm. For other uses, see Stockholm (disambiguation). ...

Hofmann called LSD "medicine for the soul" and was frustrated by the worldwide prohibition that has pushed it underground. "It was used very successfully for 10 years in psychoanalysis," he said, adding that the drug was hijacked by the youth movement of the 1960s and then unfairly demonized by the establishment that the movement opposed. He conceded that LSD can be dangerous in the wrong hands.^[6] // The counterculture of the 1960s was a social revolution between the period of 1960 and 1973[1] that began in the United States as a reaction against the conservative social norms of the 1950s, the political conservatism (and perceived social repression) of the Cold War period, and the US government...

In December 2007, Swiss medical authorities permitted a psychotherapist to perform psychotherapeutical experiments with patients who suffer from terminal stage cancer and other deadly diseases. Although not yet started, these experiments will represent the first study of the therapeutic effects of LSD on humans in 35 years, as other studies have focused on the drug's effects on consciousness and body. Hofmann supported the study, and continued to believe in the therapeutic benefits of LSD.^[7]

Hofmann was due to speak at the World Psychedelic Forum^[8] from March 21 to March 24, 2008 but was forced to pull out due to poor health. is the 80th day of the year (81st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 83rd day of the year (84th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ...

Death

Wikinews has related news:

Pioneer chemist Albert Hofmann dies at age 102

Albert Hofmann died from a heart attack on April 29, 2008 in the village of Burg im Leimental, near Basel, Switzerland. He was 102.^[9][10] Image File history File links WikiNews-Logo. ... Wikinews is a free-content news source and a project of the Wikimedia Foundation. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... Burg im Leimental is a municipality in the district of Laufen, in the canton of Basel-Country, Switzerland. ... Basel (English traditionally: Basle [ba:l], German: Basel [ba:z@l], French Bâle [ba:l], Italian Basilea [bazilE:a]) is Switzerlands third most populous city (188,000 inhabitants in the canton of Basel-City as of 2004; the 690,000 inhabitants in the conurbation stretching across the immediate...

Books

Albert Hofmann's autobiographical account of his experience with the hallucinogen is LSD: My Problem Child. Hofmann also co-authored The Road to Eleusis: Unveiling the Secret of the Mysteries (Hermes Press, 1998, North Atlantic Books, 2008), a collaborative effort with mycologist R.G. Wasson, and classical scholars Carl Ruck and Blaise Staples, which reveals the secret mystic elixir that is at the heart of the Eleusinian Mysteries and, therefore, fundamental to the development of Western civilization. Hofmann further describes the relevance of the Eleusinian Mysteries for today's world, and the application of psychedelic experience to the study of metaphysics, in essays published in Entheogens and the Future of Religion, (Council on Spiritual Practices, San Francisco, 1999); and discusses his relationship with LSD provocateur Timothy Leary in Outside Looking In (Park Street Press, Rochester, VT, 1999). Mycology (from the Greek μύκης, meaning fungus) is the study of fungi, their genetic and biochemical properties, their taxonomy, and their use to humans as a source for tinder, medicinals (e. ... The Eleusinian Mysteries (Greek: Ἐλευσίνια Μυστήρια) were initiation ceremonies held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece. ... For the American baseball player, see Tim Leary (baseball player). ...

References

2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... This article deals with The Daily Telegraph in Britain, see The Daily Telegraph (Australia) for the Australian publication The Daily Telegraph is a British broadsheet newspaper founded in 1855. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 119th day of the year (120th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Informa plc (LSE: INF) is a United Kingdom based publisher and conference company, with offices in more than 40 countries and more than 7,000 employees. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 2008 (MMVIII) is the current year, a leap year that started on Tuesday of the Anno Domini (or common era), in accordance to the Gregorian calendar. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ...

External links

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to:

Albert Hofmann

• Albert Hofmann Foundation
• Albert Hofmann (NNDB)
• Erowid: Albert Hofmann Vault
• MAPS ("Stanislav Grof interviews Dr. Albert Hofmann")