From Vitamins to Antibiotics – A Chemist’s Memories. Part I.

Sa？etak The work of an organic synthetic chemist on chemical process development in a pharmaceutical and chemical factory is described. Comparing it to a hobby made solving problems much easier. Presented is the laboratory development carried out in multidisciplinary groups on the synthesis of pyridoxine hydrochloride, synthetic chiral amino acids and some chemical intermediates. High quality results were achieved by team work. The author’s skills improved with postgraduate studies, Ph.D. studies, and postdoctoral studies in Zurich under Nobel prize-winner Vladimir Prelog