Joseph Bienaimé Caventou | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1795-06-30)30 June 1795 |
| Died | 5 May 1877(1877-05-05) (aged 81) Paris,French Third Republic |
| Alma mater | Ecole de Pharmacie de Paris |
| Known for | Isolating alkaloids from vegetables |
| Awards | Elected to theAcadémie Nationale de Médecine in 1821 |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Pharmacology,chemistry |
Joseph Bienaimé Caventou (French pronunciation:[ʒozɛfbjɛ̃nɛmekavɑ̃tu]; 30 June 1795 – 5 May 1877) was a French pharmacist. He was a professor at the École de Pharmacie (School of Pharmacy) inParis. He collaborated withPierre-Joseph Pelletier in a Parisian laboratory located behind anapothecary. He was a pioneer in the use of mild solvents to isolate a number of active ingredients from plants, making a study ofalkaloids from vegetables. Among their successes were the isolation of the following compounds:
| Year | Isolated compound(s) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 1817 | Chlorophyll | |
| 1817 | Emetine | Ipecacuanha |
| 1818 | Strychnine | Nux vomica |
| 1819 | Brucine | Nux vomica |
| 1820 | Cinchonine andquinine | Cinchona bark |
| 1821 | Caffeine |
Quinine sulfate later proved to be an important remedy for the diseasemalaria. Quinine is the activeanti-malarial ingredient in the bark ofcinchona tree.[1][2]
Neither of the partners chose to patent their discovery of this compound, releasing it for everybody to use. In 1823 they discoverednitrogen in alkaloid compounds. Other compounds they discovered includecolchicine andveratrine.
The craterCaventou on theMoon is named after him.
