Ernst Späth, Date of Birth, Place of Birth, Date of Death

Ernst Späth

Austrian chemist

Date of Birth: 01-Jan-1886

Place of Birth: Moravský Beroun, Olomouc Region, Czech Republic

Date of Death: 01-Jan-1946

Profession: chemist, university teacher

Nationality: Austria

Zodiac Sign: Capricorn

Ernst Späth (14 May 1886, in Moravský Beroun (German: Bärn), northern Moravia – 30 September 1946, in Zurich) was an Austrian chemist, specializing in natural products. He was the first to synthesise mescaline and was one of the first to synthesize cuscohygrine on a small scale with Hans Tuppy. He lost everything in World War II, and died with no money.
His former student Percy Lavon Julian returned to Vienna, paid for his funeral, and commissioned a bust of Späth, which is still displayed in the foyer of the Faculty of Chemistry of the University of Vienna.
A second cast of the bust was erected in 1961 in the Arkadenhof of the University of Vienna.