ANTONIO GONZALEZ GONZALEZ

SPANISH CHEMIST
(1917 2002)

CHIARA CUEVA FERRARI

IES EL GALEON
2 D

Antonio Gonzlez Gonzlez

"The chemist who discovered the

pharmacological principles of canary flora" Antonio Gonzlez Gonzlez (Realejo
Alto, Tenerife, October 27, 1917 - October 11, 2002), was a Spanish chemist. He
was a member of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical and Natural Sciences. He
makes doctorate at the Central University of Madrid, with Lora Tamayo research on
the synthesis of organic molecules. With 29 years, he obtained the Chair of Organic
Chemistry and Biochemistry of the University of La Laguna. In 1950 he moved to
the University of Cambridge, to work with Alexander R. Todd, who shortly
afterwards received the Nobel Prize. He was Rector of the University of La Laguna.
Its main research consists in obtaining triterpenes latex tabaibas and canaries
cardones alkaloids various plants, especially Adenocarpus, glycosides cardioactive
of Isoplexis isolating molecules such as lanosterol, which will be critical in the
construction of the biosynthetic pathway triterpene squalene related to cholesterol.
Today founder of Institute of Bio-Organic "Antonio Gonzlez" (Lubo-AG), creating a
School of Trainers, attended by students and postgraduates from all over the world.
Canary Research Prize and Prince of Asturias Prize in 1986 for Scientific and
Technical Research. He was nominated three times for the Nobel Prize in
Chemistry.
He made important discoveries in the field of bioorganic chemistry, opening new
lines of research to other scientists. They are especially relevant work on the
identification of new bioactive structures of organic natural products isolated from
plants and marine organisms. They were also widely recognized publications on
stereoselective synthesis of biogenetic type.
In 1949, the Higher Council for Scientific Research (CSIC) created a section of
Organic Chemistry at the University of La Laguna and Antonio Gonzlez was
named director of the same. He worked for two years with Professor Sir Alexander
Todd in the Laboratory of Organic Chemistry at the University of Cambridge. Upon
returning to La Laguna he was named dean of the Faculty of Sciences, a position
he held until 1957.
.
In 1963 he founded the Institute of Chemical Research supported by the Cabildo
Insular de Tenerife. Later the center was renamed Institute of Organic Natural
Products (IPNO) and now called University Institute of Bio-organic Antonio
Gonzlez (IUBO-AG), according to the evolution of the nature of their research.
That same year, he was appointed rector of the University of La Laguna, a position
he held until 1968. In 1971 he was awarded the First Program of Chemistry at the
Juan March Foundation.
It was academic of the Royal Academy of Exact, Physical, Chemical and Natural
Sciences and honorary doctorates from the University of Chile and honorary
professor at the Universidad Mayor San Marcos in Peru and Asuncion (Paraguay).

Among other awards, he received the parcel with plate and the Grand Cross of
Alfonso X the Wise, the Grand Cross of Civil Merit, the Order of Bernardo O'Higgins
in rank of Grand Officer, awarded by the President of the Republic of Chile and
medals gold of the Royal Spanish Society of Physics and Chemistry (1968), the
City of Santa Cruz de Tenerife, the University of La Laguna, the council of Tenerife
and Biographical Center Cambridge. The University of La Laguna honored him with
the litle of Honorary Rector in 1976.
In 1986 he received the First Canarias Research Award created by the Autonomous
Government of the Canary Islands and that same year received the Prince of
Asturias Award for Technical and Scientific Research in view of their work
developed over a lifetime of intense dedication in the field of the chemistry of
natural products. In addition, he was nominated for the Nobel Prize three times.
He carried out his work until the last day of his life. He died on October 11, 2002,
about to turn 85 years old.

Literary works
La lactama del cido hexahidro paminobenzoico en la determinacin
del peso molecular de los aductos de estiroles sustituidos (1943)
Contribucin a la sntesis de la 4-acetilhidrindona (1945)
Aportacin al estudio del ltex de las Euphorbias canarias (1949)
Aportacin al conocimiento de los alcaloides de los Adenocarpus
(1951)
Glucsidos de las Escrophulariceas canarias (1955)
Structure of the Anhydrocanariengenine A. (1959)
Ueber pflanzliche Herzgifte. Die Glykoside und Aglykone der Bltter
von Digitales canariensi s L. (1963)
Qumica de las Rutceas (1964)
Triterpenos y esteroides de la Periploca Levigata Ait (1966)
Reaction of Spirostan Sapobenins with Nitrous Acid (1971)
Marine Natural Products of the Atlantic Zone (1972)
Qumica de las Ceropegias (1973)
Lignanos del Haplophyllum hispanicum Spach (1974)
New sources of steroid Relacin de Acadmicos: numerarios (medalla
nm.9) sapogenins (1975)
Sobre la estructura de Rutacridona (1976)
Componentes de las Umbelferas 14 (1977)

 Structure of Khanilactone The Compositae XXXVII (1978)

Oxidacin de derivados de la Clorophyssopifolina (1980)