Luis E. Miramontes

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Luis E. Miramontes ca. 1951

Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cárdenas (March 16 1925, in Tepic, Nayarit – September 13 2004, in Mexico City) , was a Mexican chemist known as the co-inventor of the first oral contraceptive.

He obtained his first Degree in chemical engineering in the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM). He was founder researcher of the Institute of Chemistry of the same University, making research in the area of Organic Chemistry mainly. He was a professor of the Faculty of Chemistry of the UNAM, Director and professor of the School of Chemistry at the Universidad Iberoamericana, and deputy Director of the Mexican Institute of Petroleum (IMP). Miramontes was member of diverse scientific societies, such as the American Chemical Society (Emeritus), the Mexican Institute of Chemical Engineers, the National Institute of Chemical and Chemical Engineers, the Chemical Society of Mexico, the American Institute of Chemical Engineers and the New York Academy of Sciences.

Contents

1 Invention of the first oral contraceptive
2 Outstanding life and recognition
3 Selected publications related to his invention
4 References

Invention of the first oral contraceptive

Luis E. Miramontes signed laboratory notebook. October 15, 1951

The scientific contribution of Luis Miramontes is very extensive, includes numerous publications and nearly 40 national and international patents in different areas such as organic chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, petrochemistry and atmospheric chemistry and polluting agents. Among his multiple contributions to world science, it is the synthesis on October 15, 1951, when Miramontes was only 26 years old, of norethindrone, that was to become the active compound base of the first synthetic oral contraceptive, better known as the contraceptive pill. By this reason it is considered its inventor. Luis E. Miramontes received the patent of the compound next to Carl Djerassi and George Rosenkranz, of the Mexican chemical company Syntex. It is common that the invention of the pill is attributed exclusively to Djerassi or to Rosenkranz. The historians, nevertheless, agree that the invention, or the first synthesis, must go to Miramontes. For example, the Nobel laurated Max Perutz [1] states that "On October 15th, 1951, the chemistry student Luis Miramontes, working under the direction of Djerassi and the director of the laboratory Jorge Rosenkranz synthesized the compound". Djerassi itself affirms that it was, in fact, Miramontes who synthesized the compound for the first time [2]. The scientific article reporting the synthesis has Miramontes as the first author. Finally, the synthesis method was registered, on October 15th, 1951, in page 114 of the Miramontes's personal laboratory notebook (signed).

Outstanding life and recognition

Patent of the first oral contraceptive, elected to the USA Inventors Hall of Fame

In 1964, the contraceptive pill was chosen by the US Department of Patents as one of the 40 registered more important inventions between 1794 and 1964. The name of Luis Miramontes appeared next to Pasteur, Edison, Bell, the Wright brothers and others of equal stature. It was included in the "USA Inventors Hall of Fame".

In 1985 he received the "Estado de Mexico" Medal, in the area of sciences and arts; as well as a public recognition from the government of the state of Nayarit, and an academic recognition from the Technological Institute of Tepic.

He received the Mexican National Prize on Chemistry "Andrés Manuel del Rio" in 1986.

In 1989 he became a "pugwashit", that is, member of the Pugwash Conferences on Science and World Affairs, organization promoting peace and world development. The Pugwash Conferences were awarded the Peace Nobel Prize in 1995.

In 1992 the General Hospital of Zone no. 1, of the Mexican Institute of Social Security, in Tepic, Nayarit, was named "Luis Ernesto Miramontes Cardenas Hospital".

In 1994 the Mexican Ministry of Health recognized his scientific contributions, when installing the National Program on Family Planning in Mexico.

He received in 1998, on behalf of the government of the state of Nayarit, the "Amado Nervo" Medal.

Luis E. Miramontes (right) with Nobel Laurate Mario Molina, ca. 1995

In 2000, the contraceptive pill was denominated three times as one of the most important inventions of the last 2000 years, by a group of outstanding personalities, that included several Nobel laurates [5].

In 2001, at the 50 Anniversary of the synthesis of norethindrone, the UNAM and the Mexican Ministry of Health, organized individual tributes to Miramontes and Rosencraz.

In 2004, the invention of Luis E. Miramontes was chosen as the twentieth most important one of all the times. The election was organized by SCENTA, an initiative of The Engineering and Technology Board of the United Kingdom.

In 2005, the Mexican Academy of Sciences, denominated the invention of Miramontes as the Mexican most important contribution to world science ever.

Luis E. Miramontes, Andres Manuel del Rio (discoverer of vanadium) and Mario Molina, Chemistry Nobel Prize in 1995, are the three most important Mexican chemists of all times.

Selected publications related to his invention

Miramontes L; Rosenkranz G; Djerassi C. 1951 Journal Of The American Chemical Society 73 (7): 3540-3541 Steroids .22. The Synthesis Of 19-Nor-Progesterone

Sandoval A; Miramontes L; Rosenkranz G; Djerassi C. 1951 Journal Of The American Chemical Society 73 (3): 990-991. The Dienone Phenol Rearrangement

Sandoval A; Miramontes L; Rosenkranz G; Djerassi C; Sondheimer F. 1953 Journal Of The American Chemical Society 75 (16): 4117-4118 Steroids .69. 19-Nor-Desoxycorticosterone, A Potent Mineralocorticoid Hormone

Mancera O; Miramontes L; Rosenkranz G; Sondheimer F; Djerassi C. 1953 Journal Of The American Chemical Society 75 (18): 4428-4429 Steroidal Sapogenins .28. The Reaction Of Peracids With Enol Acetates Of Delta-8-7-Keto And Delta-8-11-Keto Steroidal Sapogenins

Djerassi C; Miramontes L; Rosenkranz G. 1953 Journal Of The American Chemical Society 75 (18): 4440-4442 Steroids .48. 19-Norprogesterone, A Potent Progestational Hormone

Djerassi C; Miramontes L; Rosenkranz G; Sondheimer F. 1954 Journal Of The American Chemical Society 76 (16): 4092-4094 Steroids .54. Synthesis Of 19-Nor-17-Alpha-Ethynyltestosterone And 19-Nor-17-Alpha-Methyltestosterone

References

[1] Max F. Perutz. I Wish I’d Made You Angry Earlier: Essays on Science, Scientists, and Humanity. Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press 1998.
[2] Carl Djerassi. This Man's Pill: Reflections on the 50th Birthday of the Pill. Oxford University Press 2001.
[3] Lara V. Marks. Sexual Chemistry: A History of the Contraceptive Pill.372 pp. New Haven, Conn., Yale University Press, 2001.
[4] Lilia Miramontes. Un invento que cambió al mundo. ¿Cómo ves? Año 8 No. 67 2004
[5] John Brockman, editor. The Greatest Inventions of the Past 2000 Years. Phoenix. 2000
[6] Carl Djerassi. Steroids Made It Possible. American Chemical Society, Washington DC, 1990.

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