Friedrich Sertürner


Friedrich Wilhelm Adam Sertürner was a German pharmacist and a pioneer of alkaloid chemistry. He is best known for his discovery of morphine in 1804.

Biography

Friedrich Wilhelm Adam Sertürner was born to Joseph Simon Serdinner and Marie Therese Brockmann on 19 June 1783, in Neuhaus, North Rhine-Westphalia. After his parents died, he became a pharmacist's apprentice in Paderborn.
Sertürner was the first to isolate morphine from opium. He called the isolated alkaloid "morphium" after the Greek god of dreams, Morpheus. He published a comprehensive paper on its isolation, crystallization, crystal structure, and pharmacological properties, which he studied first in stray dogs and then in self-experiments. Morphine was not only the first alkaloid to be extracted from opium, but the first ever alkaloid to be isolated from any plant. Thus Sertürner became the first person to isolate the active ingredient associated with a medicinal plant or herb.
The branch of science that he originated has since become known as alkaloid chemistry.
In 1806 Sertürner moved to Einbeck, working as a pharmacists' assistant. In 1809, Sertürner opened the first pharmacy he owned, in Einbeck. He continued to investigate the effects of morphine. After the publication of his paper "Ueber das Morphium als Hauptbestandteil des Opiums" in 1817, his work on morphine became more widely known and morphine became more widely used.
In 1822, Sertürner bought the main pharmacy in Hamelin, where he worked until his death on
February 20, 1841. He was buried in Einbeck.

Recognition

In 1817 Sertürner was awarded an honorary doctorate from Jena University. In 1831, Sertürner received the Montyon Prize and the title ‘Benefactor of Humanity’.