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Table of Contents

Preface

1  From Primary School to ETH (1932 – 1951)

1.1  Undergraduate studies
1.2  Military service
1.3  Student life
1.4  Diploma thesis and diploma
1.5  Zingiberene structure
1.6  Farnesene Rule
1.7  Jakob Schreiber, my first student
1.8  Hans Schinz, my doctoral thesis supervisor

2  From Postdoc to Privatdozent at ETH (1951 – 1960)

2.1  Founding the Eschenmoser group
2.2  Steroid syntheses
2.3  Base-induced fragmentation of C,C bonds
2.4  Biogenetic Isoprene Rule
2.5  Stereochemistry of acid-catalyzed polyene cyclizations
2.6  Stereochemical interpretation of the Biogenetic Isoprene Rule in triterpenes
2.7  First trip to the USA (1954)
2.8  Edgar Heilbronner and the benzotropylium cation
2.9  Determination of the relative configuration of secondary alicyclic alcohols
2.10  Total synthesis of colchicineDesacetylamino-colchicine
2.11  Laboratory of Organic Chemistry: from Ruzicka to Prelog

3  Professor at ETH — Reaction Mechanisms and Syntheses (1960 – 1992)

3.1  Courses and lectures at home and abroad
3.2  Visiting professor at MIT (1961)
3.3  Visiting professor at University of Wisconsin (1965)
3.4  Turbulent times at ETH
3.5  The corrin saga and the synthesis of vitamin B₁₂ (1960 – 1972)
3.6  Post-B₁₂ psychological and publication issues (1973 – 1992)
3.7  Research topics also running I (1960 – 1972)

4  Professor at ETH — Etiologies and Prebiotics (1973 – 2008)

4.1  Chemical etiology of the vitamin B₁₂ structure (1973 – 1988)
4.2  Research topics also running II (1973 – 1988)
4.3  Prebiotics (1976 – 2008)
4.4  Etiology of the structural type of natural nucleic acids (1987 – 2008)

5  Emeritus

5.1  University of Frankfurt (1993 – 1996)
5.2  The Scripps Research Institute (1996 – 2009)

6  Other Activities and Honors

6.1  Consulting
6.2  Lecture tours and symposia
6.3  Visiting professorships
6.4  Membership in academies
6.5  Awards

Concluding Remarks

• How this autobiography came about: the backstory
• Post — La Jolla activities
• Acknowledgements

Appendix

• Biographical notes
• Vita
• Chemistree
• Holographs
• References
• Table of contents
• Links and literature
• Image sources
• Index

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