Scheele Award Scheele Committee - Apotekarsocieteten

isolated and characterized several organic acids (lactic-, pyrogallic-,
gallic-, oxalic-, citric-, tartaric-, malic-, mucic- and uric
acid). He invented improved processes for preparing calomel,
phosphorus and ether, and, without realizing it, he touched
upon the principle of photography.
In honour of the world-renowned
Swedish chemist and pharmacist Carl
Wilhelm Scheele the Swedish Academy
of Pharmaceutical Sciences has since
the year of 1961 bestowed the Scheele
Award to prominent scientists in
the field of drug research or related
disciplines.
Jan van der Greef
The Scheele Pharmacy in Köping, Sweden
The Scheele Award 2005
The dependence of the development of chemistry on pharmacy
is brilliantly illustrated through the career of Carl Wilhelm
Scheele. A native of Strahllsund in northern Germany (in
those days a Swedish province), Scheele moved to Sweden at
a young age. In the laboratory of his out-of-the-way town of
Köping, Scheele eventually finalized many of the experiments
he had begun during his pharmaceutical apprenticeship and
clerkships in Gothenburg, Malmoe, Stockholm and Uppsala.
The amazing number, quality and variety of experiments
performed by Scheele in his short life (1742-1786) clearly
show that his devotion to the laboratory exceeded his devotion
to his pharmacy shop. His discoveries were many and
varied. First of all, Scheele should be given proper credit for
the discovery of oxygen in the year 1773. Due to a delay in
the publication of his findings and to the relative isolation in
which Scheele lived and worked, the discovery of deflogisticated
air has often been accredited to Joseph Priestly. Apart
from oxygen, Scheele discovered seven other elements; barium,
chlorine, fluoride, manganese, molybdenum, nitrogen
and tungsten. Scheele discovered and characterized ammonia
and a number of inorganic acids (arsenic, tungstic-, molybdic-,
hydrofluoric- and nitrosulfonic acid). He also discovered,
Scheele’s Unanswered Letter
In this letter Scheele, the apothecary in Uppsala, thanks the French
scientist Lavoisier for his book and tries to establish a collaboration
for the study of oxygen with the well-equipped Lavoisier. Apparently
Lavoisier never replied, even though Scheele had gone to the trouble
to have a friend help him render the letter from German into French.
Some say this is evidence that Scheele was the first to discover the
existence of Oxygen.
Equipment developed by Scheele for the preparation of oxygen.
The Scheele Award 2005 has been bestowed upon Professor
Jan van der Greef of the TNO Institute, the Netherlands, for
his visionary contributions in the field of pharmaceutical and
biomedical analysis. His research covers the introduction and
use of advanced techniques such as NMR and mass spectrometry
for quantitative purposes, especially in combination
with the development of multivariate statistical tools. In addition,
Prof. van der Greef recently demonstrated the importance
and role of analytical sciences in systems biology.
Prof. van der Greef is a pioneer in the area of drug quantization
and drug metabolism. Technology developments have
played a vital role in a number of clinical studies conducted
under his leadership. As a result of the pharmaceutical scientific
activities of Prof. van der Greef, several small enterprises
have been formed (Kiadis and BG Medicine). These successful
biotech- and biomedical companies have developed expertise
in specific steps of the drug development process. He has also
been able to balance an active academic leadership as professor
at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands, with his role
as a leader of the TNO institute.
The Scheele Symposium, this year with the theme Systems
Biology, will be held at the Biotech Forum in Stockholm on
the 11th of October. It is divided into two parts and includes
many eminent and recognized speakers in the field.