Bernt Krebs
Encyclopedia
Bernt Krebs is a German
scientist
. He is currently conducting research at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Münster
.
with Walter Hamilton and Don Koenig. After his Habilitation in the field of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Göttingen he got tenure as a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Kiel
in 1971. In 1973 he followed a call as a Professor at the newly founded University of Bielefeld where he was successful in establishing a new Chemistry Department and new chemistry curricula.
During his Full Professorship of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Münster
since 1977 he established his group as an internationally recognized research centre in the field of coordination chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry
and structural chemistry. His research covers a broad range of fields ranging from inorganic solid state chemistry, synthetic main group chemistry, biomimetic transition metal complex chemistry for modelling active sites in metalloproteins to metalloenzyme studies, including the isolation and structural characterization by X-ray diffraction analysis. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the pioneers in the field of chemical crystallography in Germany. His work in synthesis and spectroscopy involved close cooperation with Achim Müller
. He has held Guest Professorships at the Universities of Stony Brook (USA), Strasbourg (France), La Plata (Argentina), Copenhagen/Lyngby (Denmark), and Nagoya (Japan).
Bernt Krebs has published more than 750 scientific peer-reviewed papers in international journals besides a number of review articles, he was editor and co-editor of 3 books, and he is co-author of 13 patents. He served for several years in leading positions of German and European science organizations, e.g. as a chief referee (IC) for the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
(DFG). Bernt Krebs is an elected member of several academies such as Academia Europaea London, Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina (German National Academy of Sciences), Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz, New York Academy of Sciences
, and Academia Nacional de Sciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales, Buenos Aires. Among his several scientific honours are the Max Planck Research Award (1992), the Wilhelm Klemm Award of the German Chemical Society GDCh (1997), the Egon Wiberg Lecture Award (2003), and the honorary doctor degree of the University of Mainz (2006).
, Bioinorganic chemistry
, and Structural Chemistry. Starting with his thesis on trithiocarbonic acid and its chemistry, and supported by his profound experience gained during his postdoctoral work at Brookhaven National Laboratory
, he was one of the pioneers of chemical crystallography in Germany in the sixties. In this context he was successful in his synthetic investigations on novel polynuclear metal-sulphur compounds, on chalcogen-halogen compounds and on transition metal oxo compounds which were supported by most innovative structural investigations with X-ray and neutron diffraction
methods. In the field of physically relevant synthetic solid state chemistry he is internationally known for his pioneering development of boron-chalcogen chemistry. Besides novel binary and ternary boron-sulfur and boron-selenium compounds he developed new ionic conductors on the basis of lithium chalcogenoborates.
His work in bioinorganic chemistry
is centered mainly on investigations of the synthesis, structure and function of model compounds for metalloenzymes such as the purple acid phosphatases (iron, zinc), glucose isomerase (cobalt, zinc) and copper type-3 enzymes (catechol oxidase, tyrosinase). These investigations have led to catalytically active models as thermally stable and selective analogues for metalloenzymes. One of the achievements is the establishment of bio-analogous chemosensor systems for the analysis of catecholamines. Further investigations include a large number of mono- and polynuclear sulphur complexes of transition metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt, zinc or molybdenum.
They are significant contributions to the understanding of the function and structure of important metal-sulphur proteins such as ferredoxins, nitrogenases and metallothioneins. An important recent research project concerns the synthesis and practical development of novel platinum complexes as possible antitumor agents. Bernt Krebs was able to develop a number of highly interesting new compounds with promising properties, e.g. without nephrotoxic side effects.
His structural investigations are significant contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms of the interaction of platinum agents with DNA. The contributions of Bernt Krebs to the methods and applications of crystal structure analysis with X-ray and neutron diffraction
as well as to X-ray absorption spectroscopy are outstanding. His pioneering crystal structures of purple acid phosphatase from kidney bean and of catechol oxidase from sweet potatoes have become classical results of metalloenzyme research papers.
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
scientist
Scientist
A scientist in a broad sense is one engaging in a systematic activity to acquire knowledge. In a more restricted sense, a scientist is an individual who uses the scientific method. The person may be an expert in one or more areas of science. This article focuses on the more restricted use of the word...
. He is currently conducting research at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Münster
University of Münster
The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
.
Academic career
After his studies in chemistry at the University of Göttingen from 1958 to 1963 and after his Diploma in Chemistry in 1963, Bernt Krebs received his Dr. rer.nat. degree in 1965. In 1965 and 1966 he worked as a postdoctoral research fellow at Brookhaven National LaboratoryBrookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory , is a United States national laboratory located in Upton, New York on Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base...
with Walter Hamilton and Don Koenig. After his Habilitation in the field of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Göttingen he got tenure as a Professor of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Kiel
University of Kiel
The University of Kiel is a university in the city of Kiel, Germany. It was founded in 1665 as the Academia Holsatorum Chiloniensis by Christian Albert, Duke of Holstein-Gottorp and has approximately 23,000 students today...
in 1971. In 1973 he followed a call as a Professor at the newly founded University of Bielefeld where he was successful in establishing a new Chemistry Department and new chemistry curricula.
During his Full Professorship of Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Münster
University of Münster
The University of Münster is a public university located in the city of Münster, North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. The WWU is part of the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a society of Germany's leading research universities...
since 1977 he established his group as an internationally recognized research centre in the field of coordination chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry
Bioinorganic chemistry
Bioinorganic chemistry is a field that examines the role of metals in biology. Bioinorganic chemistry includes the study of both natural phenomena such as the behavior of metalloproteins as well artificially introduced metals, including those that are non-essential, in medicine and toxicology...
and structural chemistry. His research covers a broad range of fields ranging from inorganic solid state chemistry, synthetic main group chemistry, biomimetic transition metal complex chemistry for modelling active sites in metalloproteins to metalloenzyme studies, including the isolation and structural characterization by X-ray diffraction analysis. During the 1960s and 1970s he was one of the pioneers in the field of chemical crystallography in Germany. His work in synthesis and spectroscopy involved close cooperation with Achim Müller
Achim Müller
Achim Müller is a German scientist . He is working now with his research group at the Faculty of Chemistry, University of Bielefeld.- Academic career :...
. He has held Guest Professorships at the Universities of Stony Brook (USA), Strasbourg (France), La Plata (Argentina), Copenhagen/Lyngby (Denmark), and Nagoya (Japan).
Bernt Krebs has published more than 750 scientific peer-reviewed papers in international journals besides a number of review articles, he was editor and co-editor of 3 books, and he is co-author of 13 patents. He served for several years in leading positions of German and European science organizations, e.g. as a chief referee (IC) for the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft is an important German research funding organization and the largest such organization in Europe.-Function:...
(DFG). Bernt Krebs is an elected member of several academies such as Academia Europaea London, Deutsche Akademie der Naturforscher Leopoldina (German National Academy of Sciences), Akademie der Wissenschaften und der Literatur Mainz, New York Academy of Sciences
New York Academy of Sciences
The New York Academy of Sciences is the third oldest scientific society in the United States. An independent, non-profit organization with more than members in 140 countries, the Academy’s mission is to advance understanding of science and technology...
, and Academia Nacional de Sciencias Exactas, Fisicas y Naturales, Buenos Aires. Among his several scientific honours are the Max Planck Research Award (1992), the Wilhelm Klemm Award of the German Chemical Society GDCh (1997), the Egon Wiberg Lecture Award (2003), and the honorary doctor degree of the University of Mainz (2006).
Research
The scientific achievements of Bernt Krebs are centered in the fields of Inorganic ChemistryInorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and behavior of inorganic compounds. This field covers all chemical compounds except the myriad organic compounds , which are the subjects of organic chemistry...
, Bioinorganic chemistry
Bioinorganic chemistry
Bioinorganic chemistry is a field that examines the role of metals in biology. Bioinorganic chemistry includes the study of both natural phenomena such as the behavior of metalloproteins as well artificially introduced metals, including those that are non-essential, in medicine and toxicology...
, and Structural Chemistry. Starting with his thesis on trithiocarbonic acid and its chemistry, and supported by his profound experience gained during his postdoctoral work at Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory , is a United States national laboratory located in Upton, New York on Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base...
, he was one of the pioneers of chemical crystallography in Germany in the sixties. In this context he was successful in his synthetic investigations on novel polynuclear metal-sulphur compounds, on chalcogen-halogen compounds and on transition metal oxo compounds which were supported by most innovative structural investigations with X-ray and neutron diffraction
Neutron diffraction
Neutron diffraction or elastic neutron scattering is the application of neutron scattering to the determination of the atomic and/or magnetic structure of a material: A sample to be examined is placed in a beam of thermal or cold neutrons to obtain a diffraction pattern that provides information of...
methods. In the field of physically relevant synthetic solid state chemistry he is internationally known for his pioneering development of boron-chalcogen chemistry. Besides novel binary and ternary boron-sulfur and boron-selenium compounds he developed new ionic conductors on the basis of lithium chalcogenoborates.
His work in bioinorganic chemistry
Bioinorganic chemistry
Bioinorganic chemistry is a field that examines the role of metals in biology. Bioinorganic chemistry includes the study of both natural phenomena such as the behavior of metalloproteins as well artificially introduced metals, including those that are non-essential, in medicine and toxicology...
is centered mainly on investigations of the synthesis, structure and function of model compounds for metalloenzymes such as the purple acid phosphatases (iron, zinc), glucose isomerase (cobalt, zinc) and copper type-3 enzymes (catechol oxidase, tyrosinase). These investigations have led to catalytically active models as thermally stable and selective analogues for metalloenzymes. One of the achievements is the establishment of bio-analogous chemosensor systems for the analysis of catecholamines. Further investigations include a large number of mono- and polynuclear sulphur complexes of transition metals such as iron, nickel, cobalt, zinc or molybdenum.
They are significant contributions to the understanding of the function and structure of important metal-sulphur proteins such as ferredoxins, nitrogenases and metallothioneins. An important recent research project concerns the synthesis and practical development of novel platinum complexes as possible antitumor agents. Bernt Krebs was able to develop a number of highly interesting new compounds with promising properties, e.g. without nephrotoxic side effects.
His structural investigations are significant contributions to the understanding of the mechanisms of the interaction of platinum agents with DNA. The contributions of Bernt Krebs to the methods and applications of crystal structure analysis with X-ray and neutron diffraction
Neutron diffraction
Neutron diffraction or elastic neutron scattering is the application of neutron scattering to the determination of the atomic and/or magnetic structure of a material: A sample to be examined is placed in a beam of thermal or cold neutrons to obtain a diffraction pattern that provides information of...
as well as to X-ray absorption spectroscopy are outstanding. His pioneering crystal structures of purple acid phosphatase from kidney bean and of catechol oxidase from sweet potatoes have become classical results of metalloenzyme research papers.
Publications
- B. Krebs, Thio- and Seleno Compounds of Main Group Elements - Novel Inorganic Oligomers and Polymers, Angew. Chem. 1983, 95, 113; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1983, 22, 113Angewandte ChemieAngewandte Chemie is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers all aspects of chemistry. Its impact factor was 12.730 in 2010, the highest value for a chemistry-specific journal that publishes original research...
- B. Krebs, G. Henkel, Thiolates of Transition Metals - From Molecular Fragments of Sulfidic Solids to Models of Biologically Active Metal Centers, Angew. Chem. 1991 103, 785; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1991, 30, 769Angewandte ChemieAngewandte Chemie is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers all aspects of chemistry. Its impact factor was 12.730 in 2010, the highest value for a chemistry-specific journal that publishes original research...
- N. Sträter, T. Klabunde, P. Tucker, H. Witzel, B. Krebs, Crystal Structure of Dinuclear Fe(III)-Zn(II) Purple Acid Phosphatase, Science 1995, 268, 1489
- N. Sträter, W. N. Lipscomb, T. Klabunde, B. Krebs, Two-Metal Ion Catalysis in Enzymatic Acyl- and Phosphoryl Transfer Reactions, Angew. Chem. 1996, 108, 2158; Angew. Chem. Int. Ed. Engl. 1996, 35, 2024Angewandte ChemieAngewandte Chemie is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that covers all aspects of chemistry. Its impact factor was 12.730 in 2010, the highest value for a chemistry-specific journal that publishes original research...
- T. Klabunde, C. Eicken, J. C. Sacchettini, B.Krebs, Crystal Structure of a Plant Catechol Oxidase - A Dicopper Center for Activation of Dioxygen, Nature Struct. Biol. 1998, 5, 1084