Walter Baptist Mors, Brazilian plant chemist (São Paulo 23 November 1920 – Rio de Janeiro 06 October 2008)
ACHIEVEMENTS
Discovered new types of flavonoids and other substances from plants Isolated
plant compounds with toxicity to cattle Isolated many plant chemicals acting as snake venom antidotes, for example wedelactone of Eclipta prostata in 1994
Discovered hipoglicemiant effect of anti-diabetic plant Myrcia uniflora
Identified 14, 15-epoxi-geranylgeraniol, from fruits oil of Pterodon pubescens which prevents the penetration of cercariae of Schistosoma into the skin of host (1967) With M.F. Santos Filho, H.J. Monteiro, B. Gilbert & J. Pellegrino. Chemoprophylactic agent in schistosomiasis: 14,15-epoxigeranylgeraniol. Science 157:950-1, 1967. First to verify the presence of mannuronic acid in a vascular plant With O. Ribeiro. Estudo químico da mucilagem das estípulas da imbaúba Cecropia adenopus Mart. Rev. Soc. Bras. Quim. 19(3-4):1224-40, 1950 Isolated anibine alkaloid from Aniba duckei, the first aryl a-pyrone alkaloid displaying a aryl-heterocyclic group With O.R. Gottlieb & C.Djerassi. The Chemistry of Rosewood. Isolation and Structure of Anibine and 4-Methoxyparacotoin. J. Am.Chem. Soc. 79(16):4507-11, 1957. Discovered asclepiasides, cardioactive glucosides of genus Asclepias With S.C. Cascon. Os glucosídeos cardíacos da Asclepias curassavica L., planta tóxica das pastagens brasileiras. Arch. Jard. Bot. 16:103-116, 1958
With O. R.
Gottlieb first to isolate 5,6 dehydrokavain from a natural source (1959) Isolated ichthyotherol, possibly the first toxic polyacetylene from a plant With S.C. Cascon, B.M. Tursch, R.T. Aplin, L.J. Durham. Ichthyotherol and its acetate: the active polyacetylene constituents of Ichthyothere terminalis (Spreng) Malme, a fish poison from the Lower Amazon.Amer. Chem. Soc. J. 87:5237-41, 1965.
Discovered a new synthesis of N-methyl-tiramine
With S. C. Cascon. Substancias isoladas da Palicourea marcgravii St.Hil. Uma nova síntese de N-metil-tiramina. Anais Assoc. Bras. Quim. 21:53-60, 1962 With B. Tursch, E. Tursch, I.T. Harrison, G.B.C.T. C. B. Silva, H.J. Monteiro, B. Gilbert & C. Djerassi. Terpenoids. LIII. Demonstration of a ring conformational changes in triterpenes of the β-amyrin class isolated from Stryphnodendron coriaceum. J. Org. Chem. 28(9), 1963 (obtained a series of novel triterpenoids sapogenins) Isolated a new type of natural 6-styryl-2-pyrones from Aniba parviflora (1971), showed the natural occurrence of 6-styryl-2-pyrones and reported a general route for their synthesis With A.M. Bittencourt, O.R. Gottlieb, M.T. Magalhães, S. Mageswaran, W.D. Ollis & I.O. Sutherland. The natural occurrence of 6-styryl-2-pyrones and their synthesis. Tetrahedron 27(5):1043-8, 1971 With B. Gilbert & M.C. Nascimento. Um novo grupo de heterociclos oxigenados de Derris araripensis Ducke. Cien. Cult. 24(6):129-30, 1972 With H.S. Xavier isolated serjanosides from Serjania caracasana (1975)
With M.C. do Nascimento & R.L. de Vasconcellos Dias obtained the derriobtusones, the first auronols found in the nature (1976)
Modified drying tower for Dennstedt analysis method
With M. Saraiva. Modificação da torre de secagem na análise elementar segundo Dennstedt. Boletim Inst Quim Agrícola 20, 1951
Authored with C.T.Rizzini & N.A. Pereira, Medicinal Plants of Brazil (2000), with international repercussion
Authored with C.T. Rizzini, Useful Brazilian plants (1966), edited in English and German
MEMBERSHIP
Elected Member, Linnean Society of London (1982)
HONORS Morsacanthus Rizzini 1952 (Acanthaceae)
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