Albert Hofmann

Swiss chemist (1906-2008) · Switzerland · Scientists · Died at 102

Albert Hofmann is read about 792 times a day, in 66 languages.

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The Swiss chemist who synthesized LSD in 1938, then five years later became the first human to experience its effects - launching both a cultural phenomenon and decades of scientific controversy.

Scientists Scientist Chemistry Switzerland Europe 20th Century

A life in dates

2008Died29 April 20082006“I know LSD; I don't need to take it anymore. Maybe when I die, like Aldous Huxley.”In their words7 January 2006As quoted in "Nearly 100, LSD's Father Ponders His 'Problem Child'" (7 January 2006)Read the whole statement

“It's very, very dangerous to lose contact with living nature.”In their words7 January 2006As quoted in "Nearly 100, LSD's Father Ponders his 'Problem Child." (7 January 2006)Read the whole statement

1980“In studying the literature connected with my work, I became aware of the great universal significance of visionary experience.”In their wordsForewordRead the whole statement

“I was seized by the dreadful fear of going insane. I was taken to another world, another place, another time. My body seemed to be without sensation, lifeless, strange.”In their wordsCh. 1 : How LSD OriginatedRead the whole statement

“Slowly I came back from a weird, unfamiliar world to reassuring everyday reality.”In their wordsCh. 1 : How LSD OriginatedRead the whole statement

1971Scheele AwardAward1943“4/19/43 16:20: 0.5 cc of 1/2 promil aqueous solution of diethylamide tartrate orally = 0.25 mg tartrate. Taken diluted with about 10 cc water. Tasteless.”In their wordsApril 1943Describing his first deliberate ingestion of LSD on the 19th of April 1943, in Ch. 1 : How LSD OriginatedRead the whole statement

1906Born11 January 1906

Also in Deutsch

Photos 8

Albert Hofmann Oct 1993

Albert Hofmann

Escohotado-Junger-Hofmann-Siruela

Gedenkplatz für Albert Hofmann-Guanella (1906-2008) und Anita Hofmann-Guanella (1913-2007) 1

Gedenkplatz für Albert Hofmann-Guanella (1906-2008) und Anita Hofmann-Guanella (1913-2007) 2

Gedenkplatz für Albert Hofmann-Guanella (1906-2008) und Anita Hofmann-Guanella (1913-2007) 3

Gedenkplatz für Albert Hofmann-Guanella (1906-2008) und Anita Hofmann-Guanella (1913-2007) 4

Gedenkplatz für Albert Hofmann-Guanella (1906-2008) und Anita Hofmann-Guanella (1913-2007) 5

In their own words 10

Albert Hofmann

10 statements, newest first

I know LSD; I don't need to take it anymore. Maybe when I die, like Aldous Huxley.
Jan 7, 2006, As quoted in "Nearly 100, LSD's Father Ponders His 'Problem Child'" (7 January 2006), Own words
Outside is pure energy and colorless substance. All of the rest happens through the mechanism of our senses. Our eyes see just a small fraction of the light in the world.
Jan 7, 2006, As quoted in "Nearly 100, LSD's Father Ponders His 'Problem Child'" (7 January 2006), Own words
It's very, very dangerous to lose contact with living nature.
Jan 7, 2006, As quoted in "Nearly 100, LSD's Father Ponders his 'Problem Child." (7 January 2006), Own words

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Awards

Scheele Award1971

Honorary Doctor of ETH Zürich

In their orbit

Spouse: Anita Hofmann

About this person

Albert Hofmann was born on 11 January 1906 in Switzerland and trained as a chemist. In 1929 he discovered the structure of chitin, but his name would become tied to a different molecule entirely. He first synthesized lysergic acid diethylamide in 1938, then in 1943 ingested it and documented the psychedelic effects that would reshape pharmacology and counterculture alike. His team later isolated and named psilocybin and psilocin, the active compounds in psychedelic mushrooms. He authored more than 100 scientific articles and several books, including LSD: Mein Sorgenkind (LSD: My Problem Child), a reflection on the substance he called his "problem child." Hofmann died on 29 April 2008, having lived to 102.

Country

Switzerland

Scientists from Switzerland 6

Alfred Werner61.4

Michel Mayor60.4

Charles Édouard Guillaume61.4

Robert Griesemer60.0 Erich Gamma67.0

Didier Queloz59.9

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