An interesting life

[NNadir]

I came across this guy while doing some library research on the chemistry of plutonium fluorides. The excerpt is translated from the German with the help of Google Translator.

Paul Hagenmuller began his studies in 1940 in Strasbourg, but left after the German occupation with others for the university Clermont-Ferrand and was in the Resistance. In 1943 he sent to the Buchenwald concentration camp and then to the forced labor camp Dora in the Harz Mountains, where the V2 was prepared. After the war, he resumed his study of chemistry again, did research for the CNRS, was an assistant in Paris and received his doctorate in Paris in 1950 when André Chrétien.

He taught, according to his Habilitation, in 1953 at the University of Hanoi and Saigon, from 1956 as a professor at the University of Rennes and from 1960 was Professor of Inorganic Chemistry in Bordeaux. There he organized in 1964 a conference on transition metal oxides, bringing together solid-state physicists, chemists and crystallographers. His research emphasized close ties to applications in industry. 1974-1985 he was director of the Laboratory for Solid State Chemistry of CNRS in Bordeaux. In 1994 he became professor emeritus.

He synthesized many compounds of transition metals in his laboratory in order to investigate their electrical and magnetic properties related to their structures. He contributed to the understanding of the metal-insulator transitions and turned his research, for example. to the development and production of phosphors and highly reactive elemental boron ions.

In 1978 he was awarded the August Wilhelm von Hofmann Medal. For his 80th birthday he was honored in 2001 with a special edition of Solid State Chemistry.

Jean Rouxel was among his students.

Now this is an interesting life! Compared to him, I think I'm rather dull. I mean the guy was of German extraction, but left Alsace during the German occupation in the Second World War to fight for the French Resistance, got sent to a German concentration camp, was a slave laborer forced to work on the V-2 rocket, survived, got his Ph.D., went to Vietnam to teach during the lead up to Diem Ben Phu and returned to France to do chemistry after all those wars.

Wow.

[BlueJazz]

1. Love to hear the travels of interesting lives. THOSE are the people I'd like to have a drink with.

Thanks for posting.