pioneering work in experimental Raman and Infrared Spectroscopy, first practical use of Transmission Raman Spectroscopy in 1967, almost 40 years before that technology became routine practice in chemical analysis, for example for quality control of pharmaceutical products
Bernhard Schrader (15 March 1931 – 8 January 2012) was a German professor of Theoretical and Physical Chemistry and teaching until his retirement in 1996 at the University of Essen, where he died. Schrader was an internationally acclaimed pioneer of experimental molecularspectroscopy in Germany, especially of Raman- and Infrared spectroscopy and its routine application in chemical analysis. Amongst his numerous achievements was his historic landmark paper with Bergmann of 1967 about the first successful use of Transmission Raman spectroscopy for chemical analysis of Organic solids,[3] e.g. pharmaceutical powders, which has become routine industry practice since that approach was "rediscovered" in 2006.
Life
Schrader was born in Quedlinburg and studied chemistry at Technische Universität Berlin. He completed his studies in 1960 with his dissertation, supervised by Friedrich Nerdel (whose own Ph.D. advisor had been Walter Hückel) and his assistant Günther Kresze, who later became professor of organic chemistry at the Technical University of Munich. During that time he wrote, in cooperation with his Ph.D. advisor Friedrich Nerdel, the first edition of his bestselling text book "Lehrbuch der Organischen Chemie" ("Textbook of Organic Chemistry"), which was later known as Bernhard Schrader - "Kurzes Lehrbuch der Organischen Chemie" ("Brief Textbook of Organic Chemistry" 1.-3. edition 1979-1985-2009).
In 1962 Schrader joined the "Institute for Spectrochemistry and Applied Spectroscopy" (ISAS) in Dortmund, at that time led by the physicist Heinrich Kaiser, where he built up and led the molecular spectroscopy department. In 1966 Schrader worked as a post-doc at Florida State University in Tallahassee, in the research group of Earle K. Plyler, at that time one of the leading molecular spectroscopists in the USA.
From 1971 until 1976, Schrader was Professor for Theoretical Organic Chemistry at the University of Dortmund, in 1976 he accepted a tenure as professor for physical and theoretical chemistry at the University of Essen, which he held until his retirement in 1996.
Schrader published over 300 scientific papers in peer referred journals, and, besides the classic works listed below, two stencils for drawing Stereochemical formulae in 2D and 3D and mathematical formulae. In 1975 four movies were produced with the Institute for Scientific Motion Pictures (IWF) in Göttingen, which demonstrated various types of molecular vibrations.
Schrader was supervisor of 63 doctoral theses, and besides numerous Diploma and Ph.D. candidates from all over the world he hosted five scholars of Alexander von Humboldt Foundation.
For his scientific achievements and also his intense personal involvement on behalf of international scientific cooperation especially with colleagues from Eastern and Southeastern Europe and Turkey Schrader received various awards and honors in Germany and abroad, besides others Schrader was Honorary Member of the Turkish Chemical Society[4] and Member of the scientific-technical class of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters.
Books
Kurzes Lehrbuch der Organischen Chemie, 3. Auflage 2010, De Gruyter, ISBN978-3-1102-0360-8
^B. Schrader, G. Bergmann, 1967, Die Intensität des Ramanspektrums polykristalliner Substanzen: Fresenius. Z. Anal. Chem.: 225–230
^O.Y. Ataman: Prof. B. Schrader receives the Honorary Membership of the Turkish Chemical Society: Talanta 53 (2000), 5-7 ("The renowned spectroscopist with roots in Istanbul of the 19th century" - Ataman refers to Schraders grandfather Friedrich S.)
