Dear members of the Swiss Chemical Community
It is with deep mourning that we have to communicate the passing of one of our Honorary Members, Prof. em. Duilio Arigoni, on June 10, 2020. Our thoughts and hearts reach out to his family and friends.
Prof. Arigoni was recognized as a scientist with sharp intellect and visionary thinking. He pioneered fundamentally innovative approaches to elucidate biosynthetic pathways by which nature produces the endless diversity of bioactive secondary metabolites. Prof. Arigoni was recognized as a gifted teacher and a talented lecturer and will also be remembered for his charm and wit along with a breadth of knowledge that extended into many other areas, such as fine arts, music, literature, and history. Prof. Arigoni was one of the key figures in creating the global success story of the Department of Chemistry and Applied Biosciences at ETH Zurich.
Born in Lugano (Ticino) in Switzerland in 1928, Duilio Arigoni moved to Zurich for his Master and PhD studies in chemistry at ETH Zurich. After completing his PhD, he became professor at ETH Zurich in 1967. He was also a visiting professor at Harvard University and Cambridge University and worked as a professor at ETH Zurich for over fifty years. He was officially retired in 1996 but continued his research until old age. Duilio Arigoni received many scientific distinctions.
Amongst others he got the Davy Medal (1983), Welch Award (1985), Cope Award (1986), Wolf Prize (1989) and the Marcel-Benoist-Preis (1991). In 2010 he was appointed Honorary Member of the Swiss Chemical Society. In 2010, CHIMIA published an interview with Prof. Arigoni: “Chemiker müssen Lust am Abenteuer haben!” CHIMIA 2010, 64, No. 4. doi:10.2533/chimia.2010.269
Céline Wittwer, SCS
25.07.2020