Richard Manske (1901–1977), also known by his full name Richard Helmuth Fredrick Manske, was a German–Canadian chemist who worked in the area of alkaloid chemistry.[2][1]
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Richard Manske
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| Born | 14 September 1901[1] |
| Died | 1977[1] |
| Other name | Richard Helmuth Fredrick Manske |
| Education | University of Manchester, Queen's University[1] |
| Occupation | Chemist[1] |
| Years active | 1924– |
| Organization(s) | General Motors, Yale University, National Research Council[1] |
| Known for | Synthesizing dimethyltryptamine (DMT), identifying and synthesizing harmine and harmaline, others[1] |
Manske was born in Germany in 1901 and emigrated with his parents to Canada in 1906.[2] He received his bachelor's degree in 1923, his master's degree in 1924, and his Ph.D. in 1926.[2] Manske married his first wife, Jean Gray, in 1924.[2] He worked at Uniroyal from 1943 to 1966.[2] Manske also worked for the Canadian National Research Council and was an adjunct professor at the University of Waterloo.[2] He died in Ontario, Canada following injuries sustained in an automobile accident in 1977.[2][1] Manske received many honors and awards throughout his career.[2] He was an editor of the book series The Alkaloids.[2]
Manske was the first to synthesize the psychedelic drug dimethyltryptamine (DMT).[2][1][3][4] He synthesized and described DMT in 1931.[3][4] However, DMT was not subsequently found naturally in plants until 1946[3][5] and its hallucinogenic effects were not discovered until 1956 by Stephen Szara.[3][6]
In addition to synthesizing DMT, Manske is known for identifying the chemical structures of and synthesizing the harmala alkaloids and hallucinogens harmine and harmaline in 1927 as well as for many other scientific contributions to alkaloid chemistry.[2][1][7]
See also
editReferences
edit- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Shulman, Elise (8 February 2021). "Richard Manske". Psychedelic Science Review. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 D. B. MacLean (1979). "Richard Helmuth Frederick Manske (1901–1977)". In Manske, R. H. F.; Rodrigo, R. G. A. (eds.). The Alkaloids: Chemistry and Physiology. Vol. 17. New York: Academic Press. pp. x–xiii. doi:10.1016/S1876-0813(08)60295-X. ISBN 978-0-12-469517-7.
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Barker SA (2018). "N, N-Dimethyltryptamine (DMT), an Endogenous Hallucinogen: Past, Present, and Future Research to Determine Its Role and Function". Front Neurosci. 12: 536. doi:10.3389/fnins.2018.00536. PMC 6088236. PMID 30127713.
In terms of Western culture, DMT was first synthesized by a Canadian chemist, Richard Manske, in 1931 (Manske, 1931) but was, at the time, not assessed for human pharmacological effects. In 1946 the microbiologist Oswaldo Gonçalves de Lima discovered DMT's natural occurrence in plants (Goncalves de Lima, 1946). DMT's hallucinogenic properties were not discovered until 1956 when Stephen Szara, a pioneering Hungarian chemist and psychiatrist, extracted DMT from the Mimosa hostilis plant and administered the extract to himself intramuscularly (Szára, 1956).
- 1 2 Manske, Richard H. F. (1 November 1931). "A SYNTHESIS OF THE METHYLTRYPTAMINES AND SOME DERIVATIVES". Canadian Journal of Research. 5 (5): 592–600. doi:10.1139/cjr31-097. ISSN 1923-4287. Retrieved 9 March 2026.
- ↑ Goncalves de Lima O. (1946). Observacio es sobre o “vinho de Jurema” utilizado pelos indios Pancaru' de Tacaratu' (Pernambuco) [Observations on the “vinho de Jurema” used by the Pancaru' Indians of Tacaratu' (Pernambuco)]. Ariquivos do Instituto de Pesquisas Agronomicas, 4, 45–80. https://scholar.google.com/scholar?cluster=11438840874591857579
- ↑ Szara S (November 1956). "Dimethyltryptamin: its metabolism in man; the relation to its psychotic effect to the serotonin metabolism". Experientia. 12 (11): 441–442. doi:10.1007/BF02157378. PMID 13384414.
- ↑ Manske, Richard Helmuth Fred; Perkin, William Henry; Robinson, Robert (1927). "I.—Harmine and harmaline. Part IX. A synthesis of harmaline". J. Chem. Soc. 0 (0): 1–14. doi:10.1039/JR9270000001. ISSN 0368-1769. Retrieved 9 March 2026.