Menu Close

Memoirs

An archive of society memoirs:

Leonidas Zervas (1902-1980)

Leonidas Zervas was a Greek organic chemist who made seminal contributions in peptide chemical synthesis. Together with his mentor Max Bergmann they laid the foundations for the field in 1932 with their major discovery, the Bergmann-Zervas carboxybenzoxy oligopeptide synthesis which remained unsurpassed in utility for the next two decades. The carboxybenzyl protecting group he discovered is often abbreviated Z in his honour.

Read more…

Iphigenia Vourvidou-Photaki (1921-1983)

Iphigenia Vourvidou-Photaki was a Greek organic chemist remembered for her contributions in peptide chemical synthesis, especially in the synthesis of biologically/enzymatically active peptides. Photaki was in 1965 the fourth woman overall to be habilitated in a scientific discipline in Greece, and the second to do so in the field of Chemistry. She specialised in peptide synthesis, influenced by her mentor and doctoral advisor Leonidas Zervas, a global authority on the subject. After distinguished research in Basel, Athens, and later Cornell, Photaki eventually rose to Professor of Organic Chemistry and Head of the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry of the University of Athens.

Read more…

Paul Cordopatis (1947-2014)

Dr. Paul A. Cordopatis was a Professor and Chairman of the Department of Pharmacognosy and Chemistry of Natural Products, in the School of Pharmacy of the University of Patras, Greece. He was one of the most active members of the European Peptide Society (EPS) and pioneered the establishment of the Greek Peptide Society (aka Hellenic Peptide Community).

Read more…