Adolf Friedrich Johann Butenandt (; 24 March 1903 – 18 January 1995) was a German

biochemist Biochemists are scientists who are trained in biochemistry. They study chemical processes and chemical transformations in living organisms. Biochemists study DNA, proteins and Cell (biology), cell parts. The word "biochemist" is a portmanteau of ...

. He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1939 for his "work on sex hormones." He initially rejected the award in accordance with government policy, but accepted it in 1949 after

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. He was President of the Max Planck Society from 1960 to 1972. He was also the first, in 1959, to discover the structure of the sex pheromone of silkworms, which he named bombykol.

Education and early life

Born in Lehe, near

Bremerhaven Bremerhaven (; ) is a city on the east bank of the Weser estuary in northern Germany. It forms an exclave of the Bremen (state), city-state of Bremen. The Geeste (river), River Geeste flows through the city before emptying into the Weser. Brem ...

, he started his studies at the University of Marburg. For his PhD he joined the working group of the Nobel laureate Adolf Windaus at the

University of Göttingen The University of Göttingen, officially the Georg August University of Göttingen (, commonly referred to as Georgia Augusta), is a Public university, public research university in the city of Göttingen, Lower Saxony, Germany. Founded in 1734 ...

and he finished his studies with a PhD in chemistry in 1927. His doctoral research was on the chemistry of the insecticidal toxin found in the roots of '' Derris elliptica'' which he isolated and characterized. After his

Habilitation Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...

he became lecturer in

Göttingen Göttingen (, ; ; ) is a college town, university city in Lower Saxony, central Germany, the Capital (political), capital of Göttingen (district), the eponymous district. The River Leine runs through it. According to the 2022 German census, t ...

1931.

Professional career

He became a professor ordinarius at the Technical University of Danzig 1933–1936. In 1933 Butenandt signed the '' Vow of allegiance of the Professors of the German Universities and High-Schools to Adolf Hitler and the National Socialistic State''. In 1936 he applied for the directorship of the Kaiser Wilhelm Institut (later the Max Planck Institute for Biochemistry) in Berlin-Dahlem while also joining the NSDAP on 1 May 1936 (party member No. 3716562). The earlier director of the Kaiser Wilhelm institute was Carl Neuberg, who had been removed for being a Jew. His work on rotenones was considered useful by the Nazi leadership as it could be useful for controlling lice among soldiers in the trenches. As the head of a leading institute, he applied for government funding on concentrated research labeled ''kriegswichtig'' (important for the war), some of which focused on military projects like the improvement of oxygen uptake for high-altitude bomber pilots. Adolf Windaus and Walter Schöller of Schering gave him the advice to work on hormones extracted from

ovaries The ovary () is a gonad in the female reproductive system that produces ova; when released, an ovum travels through the fallopian tube/oviduct into the uterus. There is an ovary on the left and the right side of the body. The ovaries are endocr ...

. This research lead to the discovery of estrone and other primary female sex hormones, which were extracted from several thousand liters of

urine Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and many other animals. In placental mammals, urine flows from the Kidney (vertebrates), kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder and exits the urethra through the penile meatus (mal ...

. While working as professor in Danzig at the ''Chemisches Institut'' he was continuing his works over hormones extracting

progesterone Progesterone (; P4) is an endogenous steroid and progestogen sex hormone involved in the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and embryogenesis of humans and other species. It belongs to a group of steroid hormones called the progestogens and is the ma ...

in 1934 and

testosterone Testosterone is the primary male sex hormone and androgen in Male, males. In humans, testosterone plays a key role in the development of Male reproductive system, male reproductive tissues such as testicles and prostate, as well as promoting se ...

a year later, the research results were along with the synthesis of steroids by Leopold Ružička considered significant enough to be awarded later by Nobel Committee in 1939. In 1940 he was involved in research on a hormone treatment to make long submarine voyages more comfortable for submariners in the Kriegsmarine. Butenand's involvement with the Nazi regime and various themes of research led to criticism after the war, and even after his death the exact nature of his political orientation during the Nazi era has never been fully resolved. When the institute moved to

Tübingen Tübingen (; ) is a traditional college town, university city in central Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is situated south of the state capital, Stuttgart, and developed on both sides of the Neckar and Ammer (Neckar), Ammer rivers. about one in ...

in 1945 he became a professor at the

University of Tübingen The University of Tübingen, officially the Eberhard Karl University of Tübingen (; ), is a public research university located in the city of Tübingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. The University of Tübingen is one of eleven German Excellenc ...

. In 1948 he was considered for the chair for physiological medicine at the

University of Basel The University of Basel (Latin: ''Universitas Basiliensis''; German: ''Universität Basel'') is a public research university in Basel, Switzerland. Founded on 4 April 1460, it is Switzerland's oldest university and among the world's oldest univ ...

. He entered in negotiations but eventually was convinced by the chemical industry to stay in Germany. In 1956, when the institute relocated to Martinsried, a suburb of

Munich Munich is the capital and most populous city of Bavaria, Germany. As of 30 November 2024, its population was 1,604,384, making it the third-largest city in Germany after Berlin and Hamburg. Munich is the largest city in Germany that is no ...

, Butenandt became a professor at the University of Munich. He also served as president of the Max Planck Society for the Advancement of Science following

Otto Hahn Otto Hahn (; 8 March 1879 – 28 July 1968) was a German chemist who was a pioneer in the field of radiochemistry. He is referred to as the father of nuclear chemistry and discoverer of nuclear fission, the science behind nuclear reactors and ...

from 1960 to 1972. Butenandt is credited with the discovery and naming of the silkworm moth

pheromone A pheromone () is a secreted or excreted chemical factor that triggers a social response in members of the same species. Pheromones are chemicals capable of acting like hormones outside the body of the secreting individual, to affect the behavio ...

Bombykol in 1959. Butenandt died in

in 1995, at the age of 91. His wife , born in 1906, died in 1995 at 88. They had seven children.

Honours and awards

* 1939: Nobel Prize in Chemistry (shared with Leopold Ruzicka) for the identification of the sex hormones, oestrogen,

and androsterone * 1942: War Merit Cross, Second Class (Germany) * 1943: War Merit Cross, First Class (Germany) * 1953: Paul Ehrlich and Ludwig Darmstaedter Prize * 1959/1964: Knight Commander's Cross and Grand Cross of the

Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany The Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany (, or , BVO) is the highest state decoration, federal decoration of the Federal Republic of Germany. It may be awarded for any field of endeavor. It was created by the first List of president ...

* 1960: Honorary Citizen of the City of

* 1960: President of the Max Planck Society * 1961: Wilhelm Normann Medal of the German Society for Fat Research * 1962: Bavarian Order of Merit * 1962: Pour le Mérite * 1964:

Austrian Decoration for Science and Art The Austrian Decoration for Science and Art () is a state decoration of the Republic of Austria and forms part of the Orders, decorations, and medals of Austria, Austrian national honours system. History The "Austrian Decoration for Science a ...

* 1967: Cultural Honor Prize of the City of Munich * 1969: Commander of the French

Legion of Honour The National Order of the Legion of Honour ( ), formerly the Imperial Order of the Legion of Honour (), is the highest and most prestigious French national order of merit, both military and Civil society, civil. Currently consisting of five cl ...

* 1972: Ordre des Palmes Académiques * 1981: Bavarian Maximilian Order for Science and Art * 1985: Grand Cross 1st class of the

* 1985: Honorary Citizen of the City of

* 1994: Grand Gold Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria * 1951–1992: 31 participations in the Lindau Nobel Laureate Meetings (record)

Honorary doctorates

Butenandt received 14 honorary doctorates,University of Marburg
/ref> including Tübingen (1949), Munich (1950), Graz (1957), Leeds (1961), Thessaloniki (1961), Madrid (1963), Vienna (1965), St. Louis (1965), Berlin (1966), Cambridge (1966) and Gdansk (1994).

References

Bibliography

* *

External links

*
1939 Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Biography
* MPG Biography {{DEFAULTSORT:Butenandt, Adolf 1903 births 1995 deaths People from Bremerhaven Nazi Party members German biochemists University of Göttingen alumni Academic staff of the University of Göttingen University of Marburg alumni Academic staff of the Humboldt University of Berlin Academic staff of the University of Tübingen Academic staff of the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich Academic staff of the Gdańsk University of Technology Max Planck Society people Members of the Prussian Academy of Sciences Members of the German Academy of Sciences at Berlin Members of the Bavarian Academy of Sciences Foreign members of the Royal Society Members of the French Academy of Sciences German Nobel laureates Nobel laureates in Chemistry Grand Crosses 1st class of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Recipients of the Pour le Mérite (civil class) Recipients of the Austrian Decoration for Science and Art Commanders of the Legion of Honour Recipients of the Grand Decoration for Services to the Republic of Austria Max Planck Institute directors